Catalyst
by The Wykkyd
Summary: Harry finds a broken and seriously injured Draco on his doorstep one night, and lets him in. When Draco tells Harry a story of pain and fear, the hero begins to rethink his feelings toward his enemy. HarryDraco, details inside. COMPLETED 12.27.06
1. Midnight Visitor

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**Summary**: Harry finds a broken and fatally injured Draco on his doorstep one night, and lets him in. When Draco tells Harry a story of pain and fear, the hero begins to rethink his feelings toward his enemy. This story takes place the summer after Harry and Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts.

**A/N**: I have no idea where this story is going yet. The idea just popped into my head one night, so I began to write. I do hope to continue the story and add more chapters to it though. Catalyst is also my first story featuring Harry/Draco pairing, actually, it's my first HP fanfic period. So it's kind of an experiment, and a character study, among other things...

Chapter 1 of **Catalyst**: Midnight Visitor

* * *

War. Hiding. Secrets. Good. Evil. Choices. Life….Death.

Harry Potter lay asleep on the table, his half-full dinner plate pushed to one side, his glasses askew, and a single candle burning near him. The flickering light danced over his weary face, enhancing the dark circles beneath his eyes. His perpetually-messy hair fell over his face just slightly, having grown a bit since the end of the school year, one month ago. Outside, rain lashed without mercy at the windows, running down the walls of the apartment, and rushing in rivers down the streets. Wind whipped the rain into updrafts, hurling it every which way and lightning cracked every once in a while, lighting up the whole sky for a second, then disappearing as thunder shook the earth.

_Knock, knock…knock, knock, knock. _Harry Potter sat up with a gasp, his glasses clattering to the table as he jerked his head toward the door. Someone was knocking. What time was it? Harry looked at the clock on the wall; it was one in the morning. Cursing, and grabbing his wand from his pocket as he shoved his glasses on, the Boy Who Lived walked over to the door and laid his hand on the doorknob, his heart thumping with either fear or shock. _They found me. Oh god, they found me. How did they find me? Maybe it's Ron, or Hermione….Don't be stupid. They're at the burrow. They wouldn't be here. Oh god, they found me. It's too soon,_ Harry thought franticly.

_Knock, knock…_Harry took a shuddering breath and opened the door, sticking his wand out until it hit whoever or whatever was there in the chest.

"Who's there?" Harry asked coldly, terror almost ripping him to pieces. _They found me…Oh god, they found me…_ He heard a small cry of pain when his wand stabbed someone roughly. Harry peered into the darkness and dimly saw a person with pale skin, wearing dark robes with a hood. It was one of them…they had come. Harry didn't wait for an answer to his question,

"Why are you here?" He demanded harshly, prepared to throw an attack at a moments noticed. The figure looked up, although it's face was obscured by the deep shadow cast by his hood. Harry repeated his question, "I asked…"

"Put your wand down, dammit. That hurts," The figure snapped, pushing the wand away from him. Harry froze.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" He asked, hate rushing through him and clouding his senses. The traitor; it didn't matter if he hadn't gone through with his plans, he was still a traitor. And Harry still hated him, more than he ever had.

"To be frank, I need a place to stay, Potter," The figure drawled in his usual tone.

"What the hell? You came here, to _me_, for a place to stay? Are you insane?" He spat, anger still coursing through him.

"Some think so, actually, quite a few do. And, yes, I came to you…obviously," Came Harry's answer in that cool, civil voice.

"Why the _hell_ are you here? I could kill you right now, and believe me, I really don't think I would have a problem with that," Harry snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously. The figure lowered his hood, and looked up at him with steel gray eyes. Harry felt some of the hate drain away. When he looked into Draco's eyes, it was as if he was looking into a mirror. It didn't matter that those eyes were gray, unlike his own. They had the same look. That same haunted, pained, and desperate look he had in his own eyes. They were eyes that had no youthfulness left in them; they were eyes that had seen too much.

"I'm here because it's safe. No one knows where you are…"

"So, once I believe your pity-story, you're going to turn around and call all your _friends_, and tell them where Harry Potter is so they can come kill me? Or have you already done that? Should I be prepared for a break-in any moment now?" Harry accused, his voice raising a bit.

"I haven't told anyone. And I won't…as long as you let me in," Draco pleaded.

"Why do you need to come in, Malfoy? I'm not in a forgiving mood," Harry snarled.

"Potter, I can't talk about this here. In case you don't remember," Draco snapped, "I'm standing out here in the rain in a muggle street, talking to you about things muggles really shouldn't know about. Let me in, and I'll tell you a bit of why I'm here," Draco demanded. As if to remind Harry, a gust of wind slammed a sheet of rain into him. Begrudgingly he opened the door, just enough to let Draco Malfoy in. When the tall, blonde boy moved, Harry noticed he was limping a bit.

Draco stopped just in the door and Harry was about to see the changes in the Slytherin student. The Gryffindor had to work in order to not show his surprise and horror. The boy looked as if he had been to hell and back. He had dark circles underneath his eyes, and his high cheekbones were accented drastically by his sunken cheeks that seemed to curve around his jaw. The normally platinum-blonde hair was dirty, without the regular shine that the Slytherin boy loved to flaunt. A small cut ran down his cheek, marking the perfect skin with a red line. His left eye was hideously black and purple, although some spell or another had managed to keep most of the swelling down. Harry's observant eyes noticed small bruises running down Malfoy's pale, slim neck, creating two purple lines.

"You look…" Harry began.

"Shut up, Potter. I don't care how I look, got that?" Harry did a double take, Draco Malfoy, not caring how he looked?

"Fine. I let you in, you tell me why the hell you're here. Start with where you came from," Harry spat, resentment not yet gone. Draco tugged at his robes as he winced in pain. A sympathetic host might have offered Draco a seat, yet Harry couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for this traitor, no matter how uncomfortable he was.

"I came from _them_, the Death Eaters."

"So, you're still one of them?" Harry asked haughtily, with a malicious grin on his face that would have been at home on Malfoy's.

"I never said that…" Draco started,

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you could take vacations. I was under the impression that being a Death Eater was a full time job," Harry interrupted, his voice cutting like a knife. Draco grimaced.

"Dammit Potter! I am _not_ one of them. Yes, I use to be, you saw the mark, but I'm not one of them! You don't get it. Sure, I betrayed you and your cronies, but I never went through with it did I?" Malfoy demanded, standing up a bit straighter and raising his voice.

"You could have prevented his death! It doesn't matter that you didn't actually kill him, you helped in just about every way," Harry shouted back.

"Come on, Potter. Say it. Say 'Dumbledore is _dead_'; he's never coming back. He is _nothing_; but I didn't do it. I didn't kill him. You were _there_, you _know_ that _Snape_ killed him," Draco yelled, his voice hoarse and raspy.

"You were going to do it, Malfoy. You were going to do it for recognition with _Voldemort_. You were going to do it so you would be a favorite; just like your father," Harry spat, "You were going to kill him for _all of **them**_"

"I am not one of them!" Draco cried, his hands balling into fist inside his robes. Harry let out a mocking laugh.

"Prove it, _Malfoy_," He snarled in a low voice. Draco grabbed his sleeve and pulled, exposing a tightly wrapped area on his arm. Ripping off the white bandages in a rage, he shoved his arm into better light for Harry to see.

"I am _**not** one of them_."

Harry stared. The black tattoo on Draco's forearm was slashed brutally in half, a deep, red gash running straight through it from the wrist to the inside of his elbow. Blood trickled out slowly, running down the pale, bruised skin and dripping to the floor. Harry noticed that the ring finger on Malfoy's left hand wasn't gripping the sleeve; by the odd angle the joint bent at he implied the bone was shattered.

"Damn Malfoy. What the _hell_ happened to you?" Harry asked, still gaping at the vicious wound on Malfoy's arm. The named uttered an insane-sounding cackle.

"You think _that's_ bad Potter? There's _more,_" He snarled, pulling his sleeve over the dark mark, "_This_ is what Death Eaters do to _traitors_, as you put it. You think I betrayed _you_, but I betrayed them by not following through with the plan. I was _supposed_ to kill Dumbledore. I didn't, and I paid."

"But, you were one of them. Why would they do that to you?" Harry asked, looking to where Draco's dark mark was concealed.

"I _betrayed_ them, Potter. I could have gotten them all killed, exposed. It didn't matter who I was; I was in the way. They couldn't trust me, and they made sure it was clear that the next time I disobeyed orders, they would kill me. Which brings me to why I'm here. I escaped the dungeons at my father's house, and I came here. I need to stay the night. Just once, they won't find me, they won't think to look for me here," Draco pleaded, the look in his eyes one of fear. Harry looked at him suspiciously.

"How do I know that this isn't just a pity-story to get me to let you stay here so you can tell them where I am? I can't trust one damn _cell_ in your body," Harry spat harshly.

"Does _this…_," Draco exposed his slashed mark once more, and pulled on the collar of his robe in order to show the bruises and scars that lay on his throat and collar bone, "…Look like a ploy to you? Do these seem fake; do you think I'm _acting_, Potter? I'm not. I am _dead serious_. When they find out I'm gone, they'll track me down. If they find me, they'll kill me. But they won't know I'm not in my cell till morning. I'll leave then; they won't even know anyone was here." Harry considered. The injuries weren't fake, Malfoy's pain was real enough as well. But what of the story? What was the Slytherin boy leaving out?

"If you stay here, you're not getting _near_ my couch in those robes. They're filthy. Take a shower. And…we need to wrap that up," Harry said, looking at the laceration on his guest's forearm.

"Thank you. Give me something to change into, and then I'll _comply_ with your rules," Draco snapped, in a not-too-friendly tone of voice. He wanted to make sure that this _was not_ a sign of weakness. He had no choice but to stay with Harry tonight; it was the last place on Earth Voldemort's followers would look. Harry disappeared into one of the back rooms and came out with a set of clothes; he handed them to Draco and pointed the blonde-haired boy in the direction of the bathroom. Malfoy slipped into the room and shut the door. A minute later Harry heard the water running. He picked up his dinner plate, threw the leftover food in the garbage, and set the plate in the sink. The clock read one twenty. God he was tired.

Potter busied himself by grabbed a blanket and a pillow for Malfoy to use for the night and grabbed his medical kit for when Draco came out of the shower. He had a feeling Draco's injuries were a lot more extensive then the bruises and fading scars. What had _really_ happened to him? All he had mentioned was that the Death Eaters had made him pay for his disobedience. But it seemed more than that. Much more. Draco's fluid, feline grace was gone, replaced by a shuffling limp; the cocky look in his eyes replaced by fear, pain, and emptiness. In the first month of summer vacation, Draco seemed to have undergone as much, or more, as Harry himself. While Draco's pain was physical, Harry's was emotional and mental pain. The deaths and near-deaths of those close to him had jaded him, and the fear of more dieing kept him paranoid and over-alert, preventing sleep and food intake. Harry Potter was becoming more and more like Alastor Moody every day, although _his_ scars were on the _inside_.

Fifteen minutes later Draco came out of the bathroom, dressed in an oversized, bright red shirt and baggy tan pants. Harry smirked a bit; now he knew why the Slytherin boy always wore black. All that color completely engulfed his pale skin, well, _normally_ pale skin. Harry glanced at Draco's exposed arms and neck again; there were more bruises and cuts there than anything else. Questions arose in him again, who had done _all_ that to him? The Death Eaters wouldn't do all that, would they? The grey-eyed boy looked much better though, his skin was rid of the dirt and filth it had picked up wherever, and his blonde hair had turned a shade lighter and its old sheen was returning.

"Well, now I know why you prefer to wear black," Harry said, tossing a roll of gauze and some other medical supplies to Malfoy, "Wrap your arm up, _tight_. It'll stop the bleeding for good. And that balm there can go on your bruises," Harry instructed. Draco sat down on a kitchen stool and began working on bandaging the dark mark, but his broken finger made the task explicitly hard, not to mention painful. But Malfoy's pride wouldn't let him ask Harry for help. Harry in turn, simply couldn't sit there and watch someone, anyone, struggle in pain. _My god, am I feeling_ sorry_ for Malfoy?_ Harry thought incredulously. He didn't like feeling pity for one of his enemies. Swallowing his own pride, he walked over to Draco and held out his hand for the roll of gauze. Draco gave him and icy stare in return.

"Give it to me," Harry demanded, still, Draco refused.

"Potter, I don't need your help. Shut up," Malfoy snapped, going back to fumbling with the bandages. Harry poked his broken finger, and a cry of pain escaped Draco's mouth. "What the hell was that! Do. Not. Touch. It," The grey-eyed boy said sharply, jerking his right hand away from Harry.

"Swallow your damn pride, Malfoy. You know as well as I do that you can't bandage your arm with a broken finger, let me do it. _Now_," Harry said, sitting down and grabbing the gauze, cutting a decent length of it. He grabbed Draco's left arm, careful not to agitate any of the bruises or other lacerations, and began to work. Draco stared at Harry's hands as if the raven-haired boy was going to cut his arm off instead of wrap it up. Holding the gauze to Malfoy's arm with his right hand, Harry grabbed a small tube with his left, and squeezed a bit of a yellowish paste on his finger. Without warning the Slytherin boy, he smeared a thin trail of the mixture on the gash, running his finger from the boy's wrist to elbow.

"Ouch!" Draco yelled along with a string of curses as he wrenched his arm away, "God dammit Potter! What _is_ that?" Harry grinned a bit.

"Really, you prat, it's an anti-infection balm. That sting'll cut out in about a minute, give me your arm again," Harry commanded, not liking the unknown reason behind the flinches that went through Malfoy whenever he was touched. It was as if he was afraid of all contact. Harry went about wrapping Draco's arm up as tight as possible, and finally hooked the two end pieces of gauze together with a small butterfly-clip. He released Draco's arm.

"There, let me look at your finger too."

Draco gave him a dark look and held his hand out tentatively, as if he was expecting a slap. The Slytherin boy didn't like the way Harry's touch made his skin crawl, but not in that way it did when his father or Voldemort touched him. Harry's touch was calming, comforting…safe. Still…the last time people had touched him in any way, it left bruises.

* * *

Sort of a lame ending to that chapter, but I had to split what I already had into pieces that were chapter-length.

Thank you very much for reading, comments and/or critique is welcome. No flames please.

**wingnutdawn**: Thanks for your comment as well as your view. Glad you find it interesting so far!

**evilsadisticbutterfly**: Thank you so much! I work hard at keeping characters as close as possible to their actually personality. It makes the story more believable in my opinion, so I'm really glad that you think my characters are IC. Thank you!

**Shadow of dusk**: Thanks. I'll update as soon as possible, of course.

**Lucycat**: Great! I'm glad you like the story so far.

**Bravella Afiag**: Thank you for reading and commenting, and for being excited about this story of course:)

**SuperSquash**: Glad you find it interesting, I wasn't sure how original the plot-line of this was, but I see it's not something that's overdone now. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!

**TheseBrokenWings**: Thank you very much. Yes, there should be more soon, and thank you for the comment on the in-character-ness. I work hard at it. In chapter two there's a bit about what happened to Harry, but it doesn't get into detail. I'll clear it up later. Thanks again for your comment!

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: You're in luck, I give some flashback sequences centering around what happened to Draco, just a bit of it though, in Chapter Two. I'm just going to keep adding pieces of the puzzle as I write! Thanks a lot for reading!

**Winter Darkblade**: I'll try my best, kay? Glad you're reading and that you enjoy the story so far.

**Navy RavenLacra**: The next chapter should be up within the next week, actually. Thank you very much!

**firefly12**: Thanks. I'm trying not to make Draco to pathetic, so his case improves a bit eventually. Without further ado…next chapter is up!

**Anonymous**: Well, I can't please everyone. Sorry. My reason for this being a slashy fic and not a friend fic, is that Draco and Harry aren't quite friends yet in this story. I know, that may not make since, but it doesn't really need to right now. Thank you for the view and comment though, perhaps I'll store the friend idea away for later.


	2. Healed

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 1), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed, I hope. Thank you all.

Chapter two of **Catalyst-** Healed

* * *

……

"_Father! Please!" A cruel Lucius Malfoy looked his son in the face with a sadistic smirk on his face; the man stroked the teenager's neck, feeling the boy tense and stiffen. Suddenly Lucius's hand tightened around Draco's throat, his thumb and fingers pressing into the vulnerable flesh. Draco gasped for air in vain as he staggered from lack of oxygen._

"_I am _not_ your father, boy. You have disgraced our lineage. We have served the Dark Lord as long as he has been in power. _All of us_. All of us but you, Draco. Do you know how disappointed I am?" Lucius' hand tightened again, almost wrapping completely around his son's thin, bruised neck. Draco hung his head as much as possible while trying to remain standing. His head was spinning, he was disoriented, and he felt like he was going to be sick._

"_Please…" He choked out in a pathetic voice. His father laughed and struck his pale cheek, letting go of his throat and letting his son crumple to the floor. The grey-eyed boy's head smacked the stone with a snap, and then there was black._

……

_There was a body laying facedown on the floor. _That_ boy. Still unconscious. The tall man in a swirl of cloaks whispered two words and the body on the floor stirred._

"_You will rise in my presence," Came a cold, cruel voice. The boy struggled to stand, and couldn't, "Get. Up. Malfoy," Voldemort said in that bone-chillingly evil voice._

"_Lord Vol…" He collapsed on the stone floor again._

"_Imperio!" The Dark Lord cried, "Get up boy!" Draco, with a considerate amount of weight on the wall, stood shakily, tears of pain and hate in his eyes. "How many times will it take you to learn that I require proper respect from you?" _

_Malfoy backed up into the wall when Voldemort stepped closer, the evil, red eyes glowing from inside the dark hood. Malfoy stopped breathing in terror. And then a wave of pain radiated from his rib cage, there was the sharp crack of bone and he fell forward, instantly trying to get away from the evil man he was leaning on. His breath came in ragged gasps as he clambered away, his sprained ankle searing and burning with pain and his ribcage feeling like it had shattered. But a cold hand snaked out and grabbed his arm, twisting it around. He froze and looked back into those fiery eyes as pain flashed in his own gray ones._

"_Draco, now you know how I tolerate traitors," Voldemort said in his chillingly evil voice. Draco felt himself fall to the ground, and heard a terrifying word before his shallow world erupted in agony._

"_Crucio!"_

……

_Draco Malfoy lay on the ground, his upper-torso bare and bleeding from four, red lines that crossed it horizontally. His father and one of the others were holding a thin black whip, a brutal and vicious expression on their faces. The boy moaned, his back burning in agony. A heeled boot moved into his ground-level range of sight and walked around to his hands. He felt the snap of one of his fingers, but the pain in his back prevented him from focusing on the more recently inflicted pain. _

"_So disappointing, you worthless boy," A voice whispered in his ear as everything faded to blissful black._

……

"Malfoy! Let me look at your finger!" The green-eyed boy said. Draco looked up sharply, and realized he had taken his finger away from Harry again. He murmured a pathetic apology and held his hand out. Malfoy felt Harry's warm fingers tracing his broken one, not sure if the tingling feeling was coming from Harry's touch itself, or the pain in his finger it stimulated. "What were you thinking about?" Harry asked, pulling out his wand.

"N…Nothing. Just some memories," Draco responded, inhaling sharply when there was a flash of light and his finger felt like it had been ripped off. But it was still there, no longer bent in an impossible position. He wiggled it. "Ouch!"

"Don't move it for a bit okay? The bones will need about twenty-four hours until they're truly healed. I had to break them again in order to get them back in their proper places. Anyway, where are your robes? I'm gonna stick them in the wash, so they'll be clean tomorrow." Draco rubbed his finger a bit.

"Thanks Potter. I'll grab the robes," The blonde-haired boy got up and limped into the bathroom. He came out holding a mass of dirty, black fabric. Harry grabbed them and walked to the washing machine.

"There's some dinner on the stove, its cold, but you can heat it up if you want," Harry called over his shoulder, cursing himself because now he was almost being _nice_ to _Draco Malfoy_. Harry let the dark wizard's robes fall into the machine, but he paused when he saw the back of Malfoy's shirt. It was soaked in blood, as in still-wet-and-very-dark-red blood. _Shit Malfoy_, Harry swore while dumping the rest of the clothes into the wash and turning it on. He watched as the water turned a shade of pink before it was rinsed out again. Wiping his hands on his jeans, the black-haired teen walked back into the room with a grim look on his face.

"Take your shirt off, Malfoy," He demanded. Draco spun around so fast he winced in pain.

"What the hell Potter? No!" He cried, turning the stove off.

"Do it, Malfoy."

"N…No," Came the stubborn response.

"Do it, or _I_ will," Harry said sharply, moving closer. Draco backed into the counter.

"No, Harry," _Harry? Did I just call Potter Harry?_ Draco thought, but Harry didn't notice.

"Why not Malfoy?" Potter pressed, Draco shivered.

"It's fine. It'll heal…" He protested, but then Harry was right there, spinning him around to face the counter, and ripping the shirt off despite Draco's avid resistance. Shock filled the Boy-Who-Lived and he dropped the shirt numbly, backing away from Draco with his mouth open.

"Is it that bad?" Draco asked with a smirk that didn't match the tone of his voice. Harry faltered.

"Bloody hell, Draco. Bloody hell…" Harry said with a stunned expression on his face. He didn't even realize that he had called the Slytherin by his first name, "Who…who _did_ that?" He stammered.

"I _distinctly_ remember telling you that a little while ago," Draco drawled.

"No, you didn't. You said that you 'paid' for betraying the Death Eaters, that…_that_…is…_torture_," Harry said, staring wide-eyed at Malfoy.

"This _is_ 'paying' for betraying them," Draco spat, bitterness rushing into his words, "Did you really think that they would show mercy to me because I'm not even an adult yet? Did you think that they would just scold me and then give me a second chance?" Draco's voice had risen in volume a bit by now and he continued, "Did you really think that they _wouldn't_ torture me? Did you think they would show mercy?" Draco screamed in rage which not directed at a very shocked Harry, but at his torturers.

"I'm sorry Draco, I didn't know. I didn't even think…" Harry said apologetically, "Come here, your back's bleeding, a lot." Draco limped over to him, and sat down again dejectedly.

"It's ok. I shouldn't have lost it like that. I don't know why I did…it just…everything's been…so hard," He breathed wearily. Harry placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing it a bit.

"And I thought my first month of vacation has been hard," The Gryffindor said, retrieving some more bandages and more anti-infection paste. Draco looked up.

"What _has_ your summer been like?" He asked cautiously, realizing that it was a sensitive topic.

"Nothing. I haven't done anything except torture myself. That's why it's so bad, Draco. God, I can't sleep, eat, do _anything_. I worry about Hermione, Ron, Ginny; everyone who's still _alive_. I think that I could have saved those that died. I could have _done_ something. Every time I close my eyes I see Dumbledore, I see Voldemort, I see the inferi, I see…_everything_. God, I don't think I've slept more than two hours in the last week," Harry sighed, sitting down and running his hands over Draco's back, feeling the extent of the four, long gashes. _Did I just pour my thoughts to Malfoy? Oh my god, what the hell am I doing? _Harry thought as he grabbed a small jar of powder and set it on the table.

"Hold still," Harry commanded, placing the tip of his wand on Draco's back. He felt the injured boy tense and go rigid, "Relax Draco, _Paralisect_," Harry whispered softly. Draco gasped as a rush of cold spread through his back, and then faded to nothing.

"What….what did you just do?" He asked nervously. Harry sighed.

"Madam Pomfrey taught it to me last year. It's a numbing spell. I'm going to use this flesh-lacing and healing mixture on your back that will close up the wounds as much as possible. But it hurts like hell, so I numbed your back; you'll regain feeling sometime tomorrow." Harry mixed a pinch of the powder with a glass of water and put his finger in it; it stung just enough to let him know it was strong enough to do its job. Placing one hand on Draco's shoulder, to keep his 'patient' relaxed, Harry soaked a cloth in the solution and gently sponged Draco's back. The lacerations began to slowly close up a bit as he applied the liquid. After about fifteen minutes, Harry had finished all four of the gashes on Malfoy's back and he began to work on the smaller, red slits amid the pale skin and bruises.

"There," Harry said, wiping his eyes, "The four cuts on your back are partially healed, as are the smaller scrapes. If you kept applying the Amotonic, I don't think they'll even leave a scar; thus continuing your perfect skin," Harry joked, standing up. Draco looked up, surprised.

"No scar?" He asked, a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, you vain git. Before I put away the medical stuff…_again_…any other _fatal_ injuries, or minor ones, you'd like to get fixed?" Harry asked, one eyebrow raised. Draco looked down at his lap.

"A sprained ankle; and a cracked rib, or maybe two, or maybe there'll all just shattered. Harry, where did you learn all the other medical spells? Like the one you used on my finger?" Draco said; Harry frowned when he mentioned shattered ribs.

"Stay there Draco, _don't move_. If your ribs are really shattered, the fragments could puncture a lung. I'm shocked that you're even _alive_ after all that," The green-eyed boy said, indicating to Malfoy's back. "And as for your question, I've been studying medical spells for the month after school got out. I figured they'd come in handy. Plus, the studying keeps my mind off other things," Harry smiled grimly, weariness in his face. Draco nodded.

"Well, I guess it did come in handy. Er, Harry, why don't you go to bed? You look half-dead, and that's practically flattery considering what you _really_ look like," Draco suggested.

Harry shook his head, "No. I want to fix your ribs right now, same with your ankle. And you need to eat…"

"I'm not hungry, really, just go to bed," Draco cut in.

"Draco, do you have any idea how _thin_ you are? I can feel your ribs through your_ back_. That's really, not, good. You need to eat; to be completely blunt, you're starving," Harry said forcefully, "I'll be right back, I just have to get a book,_ don't move_," Harry warned as he left the room. Draco put his head in his hands. He liked it here. It felt safe, _Harry_ felt safe. And then again, Harry was just like him, tortured, in pain, and paranoid. He looked sad, broken, and terrified. But still, he seemed solid. Draco knew he wasn't, but compared to himself he was stable. The blonde-hair boy was relaxed here, the fear seemed to drain away a bit; he didn't have to run from the Death Eaters. And he would have to leave in the morning…but he didn't want to. Harry came back into the room just then, reading from a huge book of medical spells and potions.

"Ok, I remember reading about this spell. It's not hard, but you need to be careful when you cast it. Draco, you can't move a centimeter, ok?" Harry instructed as he grabbed his wand from the table and walked around to Draco's front. Harry looked into Malfoy's eyes.

And timed stopped. He became engulfed in those gray, silver, eyes that gleamed in the dim lighting. Black irises stared back at him; that familiar, haunted look that was reflected in his own eyes. The superior smugness that he had seen so many times in school had left all together, reminding Harry just how different and broken Draco Malfoy was. He was no longer the arrogant son of a wealthy, evil man; he was no longer the sneering enemy of Harry Potter. He was simply Draco Malfoy, a victim of the Death Eaters and Voldemort. A used teenager who was struggling to find a reason to continue.

Harry bit his lip and looked away, blushing a bit and knowing Draco was doing the same. Potter took a deep breath, partially to get rid of the blush and also to center himself. He placed his wand on Draco's sternum and whispered.

"_Erythlosis_."

There was a moment of suspenseful silence, and then Draco screamed and fell forward into Harry, who broke his fall as the two of them crashed into the floor.

"What the…Draco! Are you okay?" Harry asked franticly, holding the screaming boy off him just enough to see his agonized face. Fear flashed through him; had the spell gone wrong? Harry sat up and pulled Draco with him, shaking him gently, "Draco, are you okay?" He asked again, concern splitting across his face. Draco staggered a bit, most of his weight on Harry, as his screams faded to a pained groan. The ex-Death Eater clutched his bruised chest, his breathing sporadic. "Draco…?"

"No…I'm…fine…_Hell_, you never said it would hurt so goddamn much, oh _shit_…" Draco groaned, sitting down in the chair and holding the table for support. Harry's hands stayed on him, as if he thought Draco might collapse again. Draco focused on breathing, and the pain ebbed away.

"You're okay then?" Harry checked.

"Yeah. I can't even imagine what it would have felt like if my whole back wasn't numbed," Draco said one his breathing was under control. Harry breathed something that resembled a sigh of relief and rubbed his head, a headache was coming on. "_You_ okay?" Draco asked in return.

"Yeah. My head hurts a bit; I wasn't really prepared for all that power. You might be a bit sore from that healing tomorrow. By the way, your ankle was broken, not sprained. It's fixed now, how does it feel?"

"Like a herd of friggin' hippogryphs trampled over it," Draco muttered, then added, "Thanks Harry. Thanks a lot." Harry nodded and smiled a bit, walking over to the left over lasagna on the stove. He served up a plate and put it in front of Malfoy.

"Eat," He ordered, placing a fork in front of Malfoy. The Slytherin shook his head. "Dammit Malfoy, _eat_. _Now_." Harry said again. Draco resigned and grabbed the fork, digging into the meal. "When was the last time you had anything to eat?" Harry asked, sitting down across the table, drinking some water. Malfoy shrugged.

"I had a piece of bread five days ago," He said, going back to the food on his plate. Harry couldn't bring himself to comment, he was trying _very_ hard not to pity Draco right now. _God, you're not supposed to flat-out feel bad for your enemy_, Harry chided himself as he watched Draco eat. He knew what hunger was. Years spent with the Dursleys had given him firsthand experience with it. But he didn't think he had ever been so physically injured as Draco was now, or used to be. God, his back had practically been in _pieces_. He didn't doubt that Voldemort would do that to someone. But Draco had said that others had done it too…who were the _others_? Harry felt angry with them, for hurting someone so brutally for not following through with evil, terrible plans. While Malfoy wasn't even _close_ to being innocent, torture seemed a bit extreme.

Harry shook his head to clear it, and immediately regretted it. The headache pulsated in his skull and he clutched his temples, groaning. Draco looked up from his food.

"Harry, you look sick; a bit pale. Go to bed. I'm not going to kill you in your sleep, and I don't need someone watching me eat," Draco pointed out casually. Harry threw him a skeptical glance, as if to ask 'You really won't kill me?' "No you prat, I really won't kill you. Get to bed Potter," Draco snapped, although his voice was a bit kinder than normal, almost friendly. Harry smiled and rubbed his eyes.

"Fine. Eat as much as you want, stick your dishes in the sink, rub some more of _that_," Harry pointed to a small jar near Draco, "On your chest and bruises, especially your eye, and then you can sleep on the couch. Make sure you don't sleep on your back." Harry paused in the doorframe the led to his bedroom, "And don't you _dare_ leave before I get up in the morning. I have some medical things to give you." The black-haired boy disappeared into his room, leaving Draco to his dinner.

Harry took of his glasses and set them on the nightstand near his bed. Stripping off his shirt, he collapsed onto the bed, his skull threatening to break in half with the force of the headache. A moan escaped his lips as he shut his eyes. He should have taken a painkiller or something…Harry fell into a fitful sleep before he even had a chance to start thinking about Draco Malfoy, and why that particular teenager was here.

Ten minutes later Draco had eaten enough to dispel the empty feeling in his stomach that had been there for almost a week. He put his dishes in the sink, splashed them with water and rubbed the whole front of his torso, as well as his eye, with the strange-smelling balm Harry had pointed him at. Malfoy ran his hands over his rib cage, wincing as he felt a bit of soreness spring up; his healed ankle and finger were still a bit sore as well, but they were_ healed_. His back was still numb, but the wounds look almost healed when he looked at them in the mirror; the deep red gashes were gone, sealed, and replaced by pink lines. And Harry said that there wouldn't even be any scars if that mixture was reapplied for a bit. For the first time in a month, Draco felt almost no intense pain. He was able to breathe deeply and not experience the sharp, piercing pain in his ribs, he could walk on his right foot, he could move his ring finger…a bit…but it didn't hurt beyond the expected soreness. _Thank you…Harry_.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading everyone; comments are appreciated, as you know. I love to hear your thoughts on my story.

-Wykkyd

**evilsadisticbutterfly**: Hmmm…action…I guess that depends on what you consider 'action' huh? ;) Glad you liked it!

**Thwishy**: Wow, it really means a lot to me that you're reading this, even if you don't normally read the pairing. Thanks so much.

**Mystiksnake**: Thanks, next update…here we come!

**Navy RavenLacra**: Thank you very, very much. I'm super glad you like my writing style, and that you like the general idea for this story. Thanks again!

**Crystal Malfoy**: Yeah, Harry's very nice to Draco. Course, Malfoy has to return the favor now… :)

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Of course Harry's there! Thanks for reading and commenting!

**Erica**: Thanks! I'm glad you like the story so far, and thanks for the comment.

**Dru Black**: Thank you, both for reading and for the comment.

**Inbear2004**: I seem to be getting quite a few people who have hinted at a friend fic. I hope you're ok with the fact that I am going to pair the two, simply because I've never done it before. Thanks so much for your comment, I really appreciate it!

**SweetNightmares**: I'm so glad you think I've written it well so far. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

**TearCat**: Thank you. For future reference, some of the story will be pure seriousness, other times there'll be a lot of sweet! Thanx for your comment!

**0xoox0friendless0xoox0**: Glad you didn't die, and that you like the story of course. Just so you know, that isn't the last of the fluff. I really, really try hard to keep it to a minimum though.


	3. Gone

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 2), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Oh, just to let all you know, I've been trying to update my story every Tuesday, if you haven't noticed. That could fluctuate a bit in the future, but updates on Tuesdays will be what I aim for.

Chapter 3 of **Catalyst**- Gone

* * *

Before going to bed, Malfoy poked his head into Harry's room and saw the other boy sleeping restlessly with a pained expression on his face. He really didn't look healthy; still a bit pale, and his head obviously hurt. A spell like the one he had cast was obviously taxing if you weren't prepared.

"G'night Potter," Draco whispered before going to bed, not even bothering to put the shirt back on.

……

Harry woke up later to terrified screams. Sitting up with lightning-fast speed that made his still-aching head spin, he slammed his glasses on his face and grabbed his wand, knocking the lamp on the nightstand to the floor. The startled teen ran to the living room, where he saw Draco tensed, rigid, and _screaming_…but still sleeping. His pale, bruised face was covered in an expression of terror and pain, his mouth open and gasping for air. Then he relaxed a bit, murmuring protests of some sort.

"No…no! _Please_, I'll do anything! _No _father, _please…ahhhhhh_!" Draco screamed again, his back arching and his hands clenching into fists. Worried that Malfoy would split the four cuts on his back, Harry rushed over, still trembling a bit from the shock of being woken by screaming, and grabbed Draco's shoulders.

"Draco!" He yelled, shaking the dreaming boy, "Draco, wake up! _Wake up!_" Harry shouted. Draco's eyes snapped open and he reeled back from Harry, his skin glistening with sweat.

"Get _away_ from me!" He shrieked, shaking now.

"Draco, it's _me_! Careful! I don't want to have to re-heal anything!" Harry said, grabbing Draco's shoulders again to make sure that he wouldn't strain his back any more. Draco seemed to snap out of his dream when he felt Harry's hands on his shoulders, squeezing them in a death grip. A safe-feeling death grip. He relaxed, not caring that that grip was Harry Potters, his rival and enemy. And then they dream came back…his father…crucio!...pain…then those red eyes…hell itself… He took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his ears. _Oh…my…god…_

"Draco?"

"What?" He snapped, his voice much harsher than he had intended, he was dismayed beyond anything to hear a bit of fear in his voice as well. _Oh…my…god…_

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Potter. It was just a dream, go back to bed," Draco said, hugging his knees to his chest. Harry pulled his knees back down.

"I'm gonna be really pissed at you if I have to fix your back again. Don't strain it like that," Harry reminded.

"Shove off Harry, I can't feel anything anyway."

"That's because your back is _numb_ Malfoy. Do. Not. Strain. It." Draco nodded and sat up, propping himself against the pillows and taking another quivering breath. Harry sat down next to him. "Nightmare?" He asked.

"What the hell would you know about it?" Draco spat, his eyes still closed as if he could keep the horrible images out of his head.

"Malfoy, you're talking to Harry Potter. The boy who had to take occlumancy with Snape because of nightmares…true ones…ones that actually _happened._ You're talking to someone who hasn't slept for the past month because of nightmares. If you only _knew_ just how much I know about nightmares," Harry said bitterly. Draco opened his eyes, _That was really stupid, Draco. This is Potter. The famous Boy-Who-Lived and has defeated Voldemort numerous times. Of _course_ he knows about nightmares,_ Draco chided himself harshly.

"Yeah, well, you don't have _my_ nightmares, so you really _don't_ know do you?" Draco said, his bitter voice matching Harry's. Malfoy had said just about the complete opposite of his thoughts, but it didn't matter. Potter didn't need to know how scared he was of those dreams. But the way Harry was looking at him…oh god…maybe he _did_ know…

"Draco…I know. I've had nightmares just about every damn night of my entire _life_. It doesn't matter what they are, it's still the same feeling. The terror, the empty feeling, the hopelessness. Dammit, I _know_," Harry said, putting his head in his hands, partly to hid the depressed expression on his face, and partly because the throbbing in his head was getting unbearable. Draco sighed a bit, not noticing the pain Harry's head was in, and lay back again, closing his eyes. Just being near Harry was calming him down. That was _not_ right. At Hogwarts, the very opposite would have been happening. But this wasn't Hogwarts, this was a muggle apartment that Harry was renting for the summer, because he didn't want to go back to his 'relations'.

As Draco silently cursed himself for the completely foreign feelings rushing through him, embarrassment one of the major ones, Harry himself was focusing on not passing out right then and there. His sudden dash to the living room had thrown his head spinning so fast he could hardly see anymore, and that didn't have anything to do with the fact that his glasses were on crooked and upside-down. He groaned and fell back into the couch, falling perpendicular to Draco's legs.

Malfoy's head snapped up when he felt Harry's weight on his legs. _What the hell is he doing…?_ Draco wondered, opening his eyes again and looked to where Harry lay, moaning in pain and clutching his head. _Oh god_… The Slytherin thought, hating the concern he felt for his enemy with every fiber in his body.

"Harry?" His answer came in the form of a grunt, "Harry, I think you're sick." At this, the Boy-Who-Lived sat up straight, his eyes open in defiance.

"I am _not_ sick, Malfoy. My head hurts; I just wasn't prepared for the force of that spell. Try and get some sleep, I'm going to bed." Potter got up rather abruptly, swayed a bit, then walked to his room. Draco didn't miss the loud thump that resounded when Harry collapsed on the floor with only his head and arms on the bed. _Oh shit Harry,_ he thought, getting up and walking into Harry's room, ignoring the slight weak-feeling in his legs. _Damn dreams…_

"Harry…Get into bed," He prodded, tugging on his host's arm and lifting him as much as possible: Draco wasn't very strong considering he had a number of injures and had just had his first real meal in days only a few hours ago. Harry numbly complied with Draco's tugging and prodding, and finally lay completely in his bead. Draco let his hand rest on the raven-haired boy's back for just a moment before going back to the couch.

Draco woke late the morning, panic swamping him when he realized that it was almost noon. The Death Eaters would have been searching for him for almost four hours. Draco leapt off the couch, ungracefully tripping over his own feet and landing on the floor again, his back searing in pain. Draco cried out and lay on the floor, eyes shut tight. He was used to pain, he could take it well by now, but still…pain was pain, and pain _hurt_. After several moment of collecting himself, Malfoy crawled up on his hands and knees, pushing himself to his feet. His back still hurt enough to bring tears to his eyes. _Malfoy's don't cry_…You're not a Malfoy, a tiny, annoying voice said in reference to his father disowning him. He didn't care about that anymore, although he had _some_ pride left.

Harry woke up in his bed, which was odd, because he didn't remember getting himself there. But he did remember Malfoy. Harry sat up, blinking in the light and pushed himself out of bed, absentmindedly fumbling for his glasses which were lying near him on the bed. The world slowly came into focus.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked, walking a bit off-balance into the living room and finding his rival griping the kitchen table in a vain attempt to keep himself standing, "Told you the numbness would be gone sometime today," Harry smirked, trying to ignore his lightheadedness. His head _still_ hurt; thank god it wasn't throbbing as bad as…oh…last night.

"Yeah, my ribs don't feel much better than they did last night, even if they are healed. But, I have to go. _They_ will know I'm gone, they're searching already…" Draco rambled. "How do you feel today?" He asked, changing the subject.

"My head doesn't hurt nearly as much; um, no, I don't feel that great, but it's nothing serious," Potter said, not wanting _any_ sympathy from Malfoy. The blonde-haired boy nodded, and Harry realized how amazing that hair was. It looked like impossibly thin strands of silver silk, speckled with blonde. And it was shiny, shimmering there in the light. Harry looked away; how come that boy's hair could look so goddamn _good_ when he had been through _torture_ for a month? It wasn't fair in the least. Then, recognizing the first part of Draco's sentence, Harry stumbled over to his medical cabinet, and pulled out a random assortment of jars, and tubes and other containers, explaining to Draco what each was, what it did, and when and how often to use it. Draco took everything in with a reassuringly-familiar, bored expression.

"Really, Potter, you could be the next Professor Binns," Draco drawled, packing the things Harry handed him into a small bag. There was a pause before Harry spoke again.

"Do…do you want something to eat before you go?" Draco shook his head, "What are you going to do Draco; where are you going to go?" Harry whispered, looking down. The Slytherin shrugged.

"I don't know…yet. I don't have my wand, and I can't get a new one in Diagon Alley; spies will be everywhere," He didn't need to say which side those 'spies' were on. "I don't have a choice but to live without magic…which means….being a god damn friggin' _muggle_," Draco spat, hating it all. Harry smirked a bit, and Draco hated that as well. The way he looked when he put on that lopsided smile made Draco shiver…and not with fear.

"A muggle. That hurts."

"Dammit Potter, it _more_ than hurts. I can't believe it…but I have to…"

"You're doing this just so they won't find you, you know. Because you're terrified of them. Is that why you were going to kill Dumbledore? Because you were afraid of what they would do to you?" Harry asked, not caring that he was bringing a rather unpleasant subject, and taking a very direct route into it. Fire sparked to life in Draco's eyes, a bit of that old look he got when he was angry, that incredibly…_Do not think that, Harry,_ Harry told himself, blushing at the thought. If Draco noticed this, he ignored it, instead standing up straighter and looking into Harry's eyes.

"If that's how you want to put it, yes. I was _terrified_ of what they would do to me if I failed. And with good reason. I'm still _terrified_ of them, of _all_ of them," Draco said, throwing Harry off a step. The emerald-eyed boy was fully expecting Draco to start yelling and screaming at him. But he said it calmly, if not a bit fearfully. Yes, Draco _was_ terrified of them.

"What…what about…your…"

"Father?" Draco snarled haughtily, "_What_ father? _Lucius_ isn't my father, just as I'm not his son," Malfoy snapped angrily, looking at Harry. Potter's mouth had formed a small 'o'.

"Did he…did he do _that_ to you?" Harry asked, finally recovering himself enough to stammer out his question. He didn't know how far he could push Malfoy, but he wanted, _needed_, to know. There was a pause, as if Draco was debating whether or not to answer truthfully.

"My '_father'_ held a whip in his hands, and _massacred_ my back. My '_father'_ smashed my finger with the heel of his own leather boot. My '_father_' led the Dark Lord to me every morning and every night, watching as I was beat to the ground, tortured, and made to stand again for more. My '_father_' screamed at me, hexed me, spelled me, cursed me, and disowned me," Draco finished, his voice bitter but his eyes filling with tears, making them gleam and dance in the light. They were beautiful, Harry noticed with discomfort. And then he noticed that the salty water in Draco's eyes were spilling down his pale cheeks, dripping off his chin, and falling onto his chest which rose and fell with ragged sobs.

Suddenly Draco was in Harry's arms, being comforted, soothed, apologized to. Harry didn't know what he was saying, but his hands held Malfoy's shoulders and pressed them against his own chest. They didn't really know how long they stood there, Draco sobbing uncontrollably and Harry whispering in his ears, calming him a bit, apologizing for asking what he had. Draco just kept crying, his tears soaking Harry's shirt.

"I'm sorry Draco, I shouldn't have asked that question, I should have known. I'm sorry. Draco, it's okay. You're safe; you're safe here," Harry whispered, stroking the platinum blonde hair beneath his fingertips.

"I'm not safe Harry. I can't be safe, not anywhere," Draco sobbed.

"Yes, you can be. You're safe _here_ Draco." Harry was completely clueless as to why he was saying this. He used to hate Draco, he still held a bit of dislike for him in fact; but here he was, clinging to Draco as much as Draco was clinging to him, and letting the Slytherin cry his heart out on his shoulder. And he didn't mind holding Draco's fragile, thin, and hurt body. He didn't mind feeling the warmth coming from the clean, black robes and the skin underneath them. It felt good to hold someone again; to be held.

Draco bit his lip to stifle the sobs coming from him and wriggled out of Harry's arms, immediately feeling the cold air wrap around him.

"Sorry Harry…_Potter_. I don't know what…I should…I should go," Draco said, avoiding Harry's gaze and picking up the bag with his medical supplies. Malfoy opened the door, blinked in the light and stepped out, moving with a bit of his old confident grace. Harry watched him until the door shut. Draco…_Oh god…_

* * *

Well, that was quite a bit shorter than I would have liked. My apologies.

Thanks so much for reading everyone; comments are appreciated, as you know. I love to hear your thoughts on my story.

-Wykkyd

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Rock star….well, you might be a bit disappointed there. lol. Thanks for your comment!

**TearCat**: Seems like you enjoyed chapter three! Glad to hear it, and don't worry about Draco…not _too_ much anyway.

**Navy RavenLacra**: Thanks so much! Glad that you still like my writing style.

**evilsadisticbutterfly**: Thanks you beyond words. Your comment means a lot to me. Harry has taken your order into consideration… :)

**Heart of Ice, Soul of Stone**: Thank you. Like I've said before, I work hard at making the characters IC, or as much as possible for their situations. It's a bit hard to write Draco in this position right now, but I'm glad to see I'm managing acceptably.

**SpeechlessQuestion**: Don't worry, I won't abandon this story. I still am not sure where it'll end up, but it won't be left unfinished. And, thank you very much for your comment; glad you like the story so far, and I hope you continue to do so.

**DARK-ENDLESS-LOVE**: Thanks! Next chapter's going to be up really soon!

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thanks, glad you enjoy it.

**Yazumi skulls**: Don't die! Just go read!

**Silver**: Well…something along those lines'll happen…maybe not in that order though. ;) Anyway, thank you very much for your comment, I appreciate it!

**Inbear2004**: I am writing Draco weak for several reasons. One, he was beaten by his father for a month (you hit on that one already), and two, I'm trying to create a transition period and personality for him. He's sort of changing from the old Draco Malfoy, to a new Draco. He will improve in the near future! Thanks for your comment, you know I love to hear your thoughts.

**lucycat**: Thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoy my story that much.

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: Thanks! Well, hope you didn't have to wait for too long, and I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Thank you again to everyone who commented and reviewed. Love you all!


	4. Cracking

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 3), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

This is another rather short chapter so I'm going to update again on Thursday or Friday. 'Till then!

CHAPTER 4 of **Catalyst**: Cracking

* * *

Draco walked to the end of the street until he stopped and leaned against a lamp-post. He had just _cried_ in front of, _on_, Harry. That was unimaginable. _Harry Potter_. The boy he had hated since his first year at school, the boy he had picked fights with every time they brushed past each other in the hall, the boy he had insulted since the first moment they met. And now…he had just cried his eyes out in _Potter's_ arms, of all people. And he hadn't really cared. Being held by someone felt good after so much pain.

Feelings and emotions began to well up in Draco, and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes again. _Not again dammit,_ he thought, feeling the tears begin to fall and not really knowing why he was crying in the first place. He was so confused. There was Harry, and that feeling of security he had when he was with the hero; and there was himself, and that terrible emptiness that filled him when he had been disowned by the father he had once looked up to.

With Harry, a bit of that emptiness had faded, but it was back now. Eating at him from the inside out. He didn't want to need people; he didn't want to even _know _people. People did terrible things, horrible things. But _he_ had done horrible things. And horrible things had also been done to him. _Oh god…_ He didn't know what to think anymore. His mind had been numbed and broken by pain, a hard shell closing around to keep out what he knew as life. But Harry had cracked it; just a bit, just enough for him to feel the emptiness and the cold that he had tried so desperately to shut out. _Damn Potter_,_ damn it _all

Harry sighed when the door shut, blocking the clear blue skies and sunlight. Last night's storm had passed, leaving the sky cloudless and shining like crystal. That air smelled like rain, but Harry felt sick. It didn't have anything to do with his headache. It had to do with Malfoy._ Damn Malfoy, what the hell was I thinking?_ Harry thought, running his hands through his ebony hair. _Draco shouldn't be out there. He's defenseless, far from healed, and emotionally drained. I shouldn't have let him go…Do you want to keep him here for him, or for you? _A little voice in his head spoke. Harry slammed his fist into the table.

"Dammit, _no_, I don't _need_ Draco Malfoy; why the hell would I _need_ him? _He_ needs me!" Harry cried out to no one. _You need him Harry. You need _somebody_, and it doesn't matter who. So it might as well be him you need._ That _damn_ voice needed to _shut up_.

"I don't need anyone. I _hate_ Draco Malfoy," Harry said, not really caring that he was speaking to himself, _You don't hate him, Harry. You know it._

"Shut up," Harry whispered, "Shut up, shut up_, shut up_."

Harry flung himself out of the apartment, striding down the street to who-knows-where. _I'm actually _looking_ for Malfoy now. What the hell is wrong with me?_ Harry groaned inwardly when he realized just what he was doing. Yet he quickened his pace when he saw a lone figure in sweeping black robes leaning against a lamppost at the intersection. Harry cursed and broke out into a sprint, coming to a halt just behind Malfoy. The green-eyed boy paused, not really knowing what to do. Draco didn't turn around after thirty seconds, so Harry walked in front of him.

Tears were streaming from those clear, grey eyes which were shut to the world presently. Harry put a hand on Draco's shoulder, and felt the pale boy flinch at the contact. Not caring what the outcome was, Harry grabbed Malfoy's other shoulder and pulled him close, burying his head in that blonde hair. He felt Draco relax into the embrace.

"Oh god Draco, there's no way in _hell_ I'm letting you leave like this," Harry whispered fiercely.

"Harry, I hate you," Draco protested feebly, trying to convince himself that this was true, and failing miserably.

"Don't worry Draco, I hate you right back," Harry said with a smile. He didn't even try to convince himself of any truth in that statement. Well, there was still a bit of mutual dislike between the two long-time enemies, but hatred had faded away with the terrible events that had brought them together. Harry just pulled Draco to him tighter.

Potter held Malfoy until he felt the boy stop sobbing.

"Come on Draco, let's go back to the house before people start getting suspicious," Harry said, pulling Draco along by the waist and taking most of his weight on himself. The Slytherin seeker walked along numbly, letting Harry lead him back into the apartment and sit him down on the couch again. The black-haired teen took the bag of medical supplies Draco was still clutching, and starting mixing a solution for Draco's back.

"Take your shirt off, Malfoy. Might as well get this over with," Harry said, pushing Draco face-down on the couch and dipping a cloth into the liquid, "This is gonna hurt."

But Draco surprised his rescuer when he didn't even make a sound as the fluid seeped into his healing wounds and sealed them even further. Harry saw the Slytherin's back muscles tense, but he still never made a noise. Harry didn't really know what to make of that; could it be because Draco was used to much worse by now? The green-eyed boy ran the cloth in slow lines along Draco's injuries, until Malfoy's pale skin was shimmering with the sparkly fluid and the wounds had almost healed completely shut.

"Done," Harry said as he dried his rivals back off a bit, "You ok?"

"I'm fine Potter, why wouldn't I be?" Draco snapped, although it didn't come out quite as harsh as Malfoy intended.

"Because I know how much that hurts, Malfoy," Harry answered simply, holding the other boy's shirt out to him and storing the healing powder away in the cabinet. "Take that yellow stuff and smear it on your eye real quick; it's going to keep bruising if you don't do anything about it." Draco obeyed, much to Harry's surprise, wincing a bit when his fingers brushed damaged skin.

"You realize, Potter, that every second I'm here with you, you're in danger," Malfoy said handing Harry the bruise balm and leaning against the table. Harry nodded,

"I do. But I don't have a choice Draco, I can't just let you walk out there by yourself. Physically, you're weaker than you realize; mentally, you're stronger than anyone knew…" Harry said, trailing off into a whisper.

"Yeah right!" Draco snorted, "Look at me! I'm _nothing_ compared to what I used to be. I'm completely shattered, broken!" Draco yelled.

"Still, not many people could go through torture and come out as together as you are."

"I'm not really 'together'. At least, I don't feel like it," Draco said softly, hanging his head. Why was he so confused? He was yelling one second, whispering the next, then laughing, then crying. What was happening to him?

"Neville? Longbottom? His mother was tortured; she was put in Mungo's for the rest of her life. I've _seen_ her, Draco, and you appear _nothing_ like her," Harry said vehemently. Draco looked up sharply, but then put his head back down as if he didn't want Harry to see the curiosity in his eyes. Suddenly, the Gryffindor grew quiet and solemn as he turned back to the counter and started to work on the dishes. Draco made to help him.

"I've got it, go to sleep ok?" Harry said, furiously scrubbing a plate from last night.

"Sleep? Why would I go to sleep?"

"Because you're tired and you need rest. I can tell, Draco. When was the last time you really slept, not counting last night?"

"I don't really know," Malfoy said, shrugging.

"Then take a nap right now. I'll wake you up in time for lunch," Harry said, still scrubbing the plate with enough force to break it. Draco looked at it,

"Harry? Are you ok?" He checked, gently taking the plate away from the black-haired boy and rinsing it off. Harry turned around and leaned against the counter, his eyes closed. Draco laid a hand on his arm, "Hey, are you alright?" He asked again.

"I'm fine Draco, just go to sleep," The emerald-eyed boy said, walking across to the couch, "Use my bed," He caught Draco's look and couldn't help but smile, "It's clean, you prat." Draco laughed softly and paused in the doorway,

"Are you sure you're ok?" He checked one last time, Harry nodded and Draco disappeared into his room.

When he saw Draco fall onto his bed, Harry lay back on the couch, running his hands through his hair. _I can't believe it. Draco Malfoy is in my house, in my _bed_, and I'm…I'm being nice—civil—to him. Why?_ He pestered himself,_ Because while all you did this summer was worry yourself sick, literally, he was being tortured. By his _father_, by Voldemort. _Suddenly, it seemed as though Harry's own immediate problems were a bit less compared to Draco's. The whole army of Death Eaters and Voldemort were after him. Of course, he _himself_ had the weight of having to save the whole wizarding world from the throes of evil. Which was a lot of weight, but still, it was mental pressure. He wasn't being beaten and tortured by those he had loved. While that was one reason Harry wanted Draco here, another was that he didn't mind making sure Draco was holding up alright. If he had complied with Mrs. Weasley's wishes, _he_ would have been the one being pestered and bothered over. And the last reason was that Harry simply _couldn't_ have the fact that he let someone alone who was only able to stand upright by some miracle on his conscience. _Ha! And I'm expected to kill Voldemort!_ He scoffed. _There's another reason Draco's here…_ That _damn_ voice again! Harry muttered something to himself about a conscience, but the statement kept coming back to him as he lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. _Was _there another reason for having Draco stay here?

_I'm lonely,_ Harry thought before he could stop himself. No, if he was lonely, there was always Hermione or Ron, but _Malfoy?_ No way. He _didn't_ need Draco. _I could always go to the Burrow._ But in reality, he couldn't. He didn't want to face all the questions, the fussing… the worries. Draco didn't ask questions, but if he did, he didn't always press for answers. And Draco would _never_ fuss over him; _Well, that makes one person,_ Harry thought grimly, falling to his side so he lay sprawled on the couch. _Merlin do I miss them! It's only been a month…but god. I wish I could see them,_ the Gryffindor thought. Ron and Hermione, especially Hermione, had a tendency to fuss over him, but they were his best friends. They'd sacrificed so much for him. _I'll bet Ron didn't know what he was getting himself into when he sat with me on the train…of course, that was only because all the other compartments were full…_ Harry picked his head up a bit. Ron never _chose_ to sit with him; he _had_ to, and he never _chose_ to be his friend…it just happened. And now, with everything that had happened to the three of them…it was _all_ his fault. Harry lay his head back down with a moan; it _was_ his fault that Ron and Hermione had ever been exposed to danger. Hell, if he had never even been at Hogwarts in the first place, maybe, just maybe everyone would still be alive. Maybe Dumbledore would still be Headmaster…

Dumbledore's kind face flashed in front of Harry for a moment. He saw those clear, smiling eyes partially hidden behind the half-moon spectacles. The laugh-lines near his eyes, the wide smile, the understanding glances. He _always_ seemed to know what to do and say when someone needed help, or comfort. He always knew when something was wrong; he could always be trusted with your secrets…

Harry didn't know that tears had started to flow from his eyes until they began to pool in his palm, which was near his face. And even when he realized he was crying for the man who had created a safe, even though temporary, world for him, Harry couldn't stop crying. He couldn't count the number of times he had cried for his old Headmaster, but he had gotten past caring about tears. He wanted to hear that cheerful, hopeful, and kind laugh again, he wanted to see that amused glance again…but Dumbledore was gone…forever.

And Harry cried harder, pressing his face into the pillow to stifle his sobs.

Draco woke up an hour after going to sleep to the sound of muffled crying. He crept out into the living and saw Harry laying on the couch, his face buried into a pillow, his shoulders trembling in quiet restraint. The Slytherin moved silently across the floor and hesitated for a second, before bending down and placing his hand lightly on Harry's shoulder blade.

"Harry…"

The named only responded by crying harder.

"Harry, it's ok," Draco soothed, wondering why he didn't leave Potter's side. _Half a year ago I would have laughed and walked out…what changed?_

"No, it's not. It's…it's my fault. I…It's all my fault. They're d…dead!" Harry sobbed, turning his face away from the blonde-haired teen.

"It's _not_ your fault Harry."

"Th…that's what _everyone_ says, dammit. And they're _all_ wrong!" He cried into the pillow.

"No they're not, Potter. Those people gave their lives for a…good cause; to see the Dark Lor—to see He Who Must—to see _Voldemort_ defeated. The old coot especially; do you really think he would give up his life for something he didn't believe could happen? Voldemort _will_ be defeated Harry, Dumbledore knew that, your friends know that, and they want to help you. They know the risks, but they _believe _in this, they believe in you," Draco pacified, running his hand in slow circles on Harry's back. The crying boy gave no response besides to continue crying and keep his face pressed into the pillow. "Harry…" Draco whispered, just to say the name really. _Merlin! What am I _doing

After about five minutes, Draco gently pulled Harry's face out of the pillow and sat down next to him. Harry wiped the tears off his face with his shirt and brought his knees to his chest.

"Why me? Why do _I_ have to kill Voldemort? I don't even know if I can!" Harry whimpered.

"Harry, listen to me. Please. This might be hard for you to hear, but you need to know," Draco said, his eyes pleading with Harry, "The Dark L—Voldemort is counting on you trying to keep everyone but you safe. He's counting on you going after him yourself, in order to save the people you care about. You can't do it, literally. You _can not_ defeat him alone. Harry, you need to accept people's offers to help you, they know you can't do it by yourself. So does Voldemort." Harry looked at him,

"People could die, Ron, Hermione…Draco, if they died, if _anyone_ else dies because of all this…I don't know. I couldn't take it anymore. Hell, I'm hardly taking it now!" The Gryffindor cried; without thinking, Draco wrapped an arm around him and pulled Harry into his chest. The raven-haired boy didn't pull away…_Could this mean…? No. No, he's tired, it doesn't mean anything…_

"They know the risks, Harry. You're not responsible for what they have chosen to do. It's ok to worry, but you can't protect them through the end, they don't expect you to. And _no one_ expects you to do this alone, Potter," Draco whispered in Harry's ear, screaming to himself that he was actually _comforting_ Harry Potter.

"Really?" Harry's voice carried all the emotion that had been pent up over a month. A month of grief, death and pain. Draco grimaced a bit; this was what Harry was on the inside. Just as broken as he was.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone, and don't be hesitant about leaving comments. I love to hear everyone's thoughts.

Just another reminder, I'll get chapter five up on Thursday or Friday of this week if all goes well.

Thanks again,

-The Wykkyd

**Navy RavenLacra**: Thank you very much. Yes, the bonds are beginning to show up. Just wait!

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thanks! I really liked Harry's little 'voice'. It's useful, ;)

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Wow, thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked it!

**Silver**: Thank you. I know from personal experience that talking on the phone and reading a story is very hard to do! Lol

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: Thank you. The story will pick up a bit from here, meaning that I'll start to dwindle the depressing stuff. Happy moments will come along progressively. Anyway, of course Harry went after Draco, he's to good a person not to! Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it (as you know).

**Jb**: Thank you, next update is on it's way really soon (a couple of minutes to be exact!) I hope you continue reading!

**0xoox0friendless0xoox0**: I will of course, and thank you so much for commenting. Keeps me inspired.

**AnimeJo**: I'm glad I've cleared a bit of everything up. Like I mentioned before, I hope to be able to write some more light-hearted stuff in the near future, reading and writing depressing things can just mess with you after a while, ;)

**Inbear2004**: Thank you, keep on loving it!

**DARK-ENDLESS-LOVE**: They _have_ to fall in love! Of course! Thanks for the comment and reading my story.

**Cystal Malfoy**: Yes, poor everyone. I'm glad that I have that point across to everyone, now, for the happy(ish) things!

Thank you to everyone who commented, you all keep me writing and inspired!


	5. Correspondence

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 4), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

I went back through a couple of the chapters and re-edited them. I found a couple spelling errors and stuff like that. If anyone comes across something blaringly noticeable, just mention it. Thanks.

Sorry this got up a bit late, my internet crashed spontaneously, and it took a bit to fix. Everything's up and running now though, and here's your next chapter:

CHAPTER 5 of **Catalyst**- Correspondence

_

* * *

Harry-_

_How are you doing? Why haven't you been writing? Is everything ok? Where are you? The whole family here has been worried sick about you! Me and Ron practically had to chain Mrs. Weasley to the floor so she wouldn't come looking for you. Please write back, it assures us that you're still alive. I know that sounds stupid and paranoid, but it's true. You just can't be sure anymore, of anything. There's been an increasing number of Death Eater attacks. It seems like every day in the paper there's someone else they've murdered, or something that they've taken or destroyed. The Order is working hard, as always, but they refuse to let anyone who's under the age of 17 help them. They won't even tell us what they're doing. Fred and George have been making things for them; I don't even want to know what, but other than that, I don't have any other news on the Order's progress. Except for this: they found Snape. I don't know the details, but apparently he's in Azkaban until one of the Order members can question him; I'm sure they'll be using a truth potion._

_Harry, I have to go now, but please write back. Tell us anything that's going on wherever you are. And I'm supposed to tell you that you're welcome to come to the Burrow any time. Think about it. We want you here, to know you're safe. I promise not to ask too many questions, or to fuss over you (although I can't speak for Mrs. Weasley). Please consider it._

_-Hermione_

_P.S. If you need anything just tell us. No, don't worry, the Order's being paranoid and won't let any of us 'underage wizards' into Diagon Alley. But Mrs. Weasley's going in a week, with a proper escort. She'd love to get you anything you need, or want. _

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes after reading the letter for the tenth time. He thought that he had already explained why he didn't want to stay at the Burrow. It wasn't safe for them as long as he was _near_ the Weasley family, didn't they understand that? He would just put them in danger.

As Draco entered the room, Harry tried to hide the letter.

"What's that, Harry?" Draco asked, not missing the flutter of paper and Harry's too-innocent expression.

"Just a letter. From 'Mione."

"Any news?" The Slytherin asked with interest.

"No."

"Liar." Draco reached around Harry and snatched the letter before the Gryffindor could react and pull it away.

"Draco, you don't need to read th…" Harry trailed off as Draco skimmed the letter twice, then put it down on the table. His expression was a mixture of shock, horror, and fear, "Draco?"

"They…What are they going to do to him?" Draco stammered, sinking down into a chair. Harry put a hand on Draco's shoulder, _Since when do I feel so comfortable touching Draco? _He wondered.

"I don't really know. It depends on what he _wanted_ to do, and what he was _forced_ to do," The green-eyed boy speculated softly.

"They…they won't kill him right?" Draco said, his eyes tearing up with worry. Harry gave him a reassuring smile.

"No. They won't do that; the worst that would happen is…well, he would be locked up in Azkaban."

"He's my Godfather, you know? He was like my father at Hogwarts, he was…always there for me," Draco said, his voice cracking. Harry wrapped him in a hug.

"It'll be ok, Draco. I…promise. Sna—Severus will be ok too. The Order won't hold prejudice; they'll be fair, and they won't kill him."

"Thank you Harry…." Draco breathed, pulling away and laying his head on the table.

"Sure. Do you need anything in Diagon Alley? Here, write a list. Anything you want; Mrs. Weasley knows how to access my account at Gringotts," Harry handed Draco a pen and paper from a drawer nearby. Malfoy nodded his thanks and Harry went to work writing a return letter.

_Hermione-_

_I'm sorry I haven't written. I've been a bit preoccupied. Don't worry about me ok? I'm fine, really. Course, you're not going to believe until you have better proof, but it'll have to do for now. I can't tell you where I am, just in case something happens to this letter, sorry. _

_It's good to hear Snape's been caught. At least someone is getting something done. I feel so useless. You know I would jump at the change to help in any way I can. Write me if you get anymore word on Snape, anything at all. Please._

_Hermione, and Ron (I know you're reading over her shoulder), you both know I just can't come to the Burrow. I feel so responsible, despite what everyone tells me, for all those deaths and injuries. I just can't let myself put you and the family in anymore danger. None of you chose to do this, and for that, I'm sorry. I guess things just sort of swept us up. I appreciate the offer, but I just can't live there. You know me; my conscience is too big for my own good by now. _

_I really miss you guys and everyone else. Say hi for me, I really wish I could do it in person. _

_-Harry_

Harry folded up the letter and charmed the paper to be unreadable to anyone but Hermione and Ron. Then he took out another piece of paper and began to write.

_Hermione-_

_I spelled this so only you could read it, just like I spelled the other letter so only you and Ron could read that. Read my first letter to everyone else in the family, but I'd appreciate it if this letter's contents stayed between us for now. I know I can count on you._

_I've included a list of things I need, as well as a friend's list. Let me explain._

_Five days ago Draco Malfoy showed up at my door in really bad shape. He's been running from the Death Eaters. Don't freak out. Draco's fine, and still healing. He's requested that I don't give you the whole story right now; I still don't have most of It anyway. Only bits and pieces. But he's scared Hermione. I'm just going to be straightforward. Draco was tortured by the Death Eaters and Voldemort as punishment for not following through with the plan to kill Dumbledore. He was seriously injured when he came to me; I still don't know how he found me. I healed him, thanks to the books you sent me. I've never seen someone so wounded as Draco before; his ribs had been shattered, his finger was broken, his ankle was broken, he has a black eye that's still bruised, and his back was practically in pieces. I'm not joking; you know I wouldn't joke about something like this. Draco's staying with me for now. He needs someone right now; I think he's still in a state of shock about what happened to him. So he has a list of things that he needs, including a wand. Olivander'll know which one to get him._

_Please don't tell anyone that Draco's here with me. I don't think everyone will take it very well. Just explain to Mrs. Weasley that I met a friend who needs some things from Diagon Alley too. That'd be great. _

_I know you're worried about my safety as long as Draco's with me. It's true, the Death Eaters are hunting for him. I'm sure you can imagine what they'll do to him if they found him, which is why he's here with me. I trust that he's telling me a true story, and I'm not worried about the Death Eaters finding us here. We're safe for now, and if anything happens, I'll let you know right away._

_Thanks loads,_

_Harry (and Draco)_

Draco handed Harry his list and the emerald-eyed boy put it in the envelope.

"Can you let Hedwig out of her cage in my room?" Harry asked as he sealed the envelope with red wax, the tawny owl had left spontaneously. When Draco came back with the regal bird, Harry smiled and tied the letter to her leg, stroking the soft feathers. "Say hi to everyone, Hedwig," Harry said ruefully and let his owl fly out the window while returning to the table.

"So, you think that Hermione will have a better reaction than anyone else?" Draco asked, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Yeah. She's great about that kind of thing. Ron on the other hand…Well, he hates you, and you hate him, so it'll be a bit harder to take for him. Ginny…I don't really know how she'll react, Fred and George'll think I'm insane, and Mrs. Weasley's just going to worry about the safety of my choices," Harry murmured.

"What about, er, the Order?"

"They're not going to know until everyone else knows, which won't be for a while. I don't want to worry everyone. Draco, did you know about the Order?" Harry said, suddenly changing the topic and looking up.

"Snape mentioned it to me once last year; I don't know details," Draco said, sitting down across from Harry and propping his head in his hands. Harry smiled, for a reason he couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Oh. Er, Draco, it's not that I don't trust you, but I can't tell you anything else about the Order. Me, Ron and Hermione only know about it because…well, I can't really tell you that either. It'd be too dangerous if loads of people found out about it, because if Voldemort learned of them…."

"I understand. It's fine. The less I know, the less I can give Voldemort under a truth serum anyway," Draco said.

"You don't think that I would let Voldemort just come in here and take you?" Harry asked, looking into Draco's silver eyes.

"Harry, if Voldemort ever found me, he's going to take me. And he's going to kill me, after he finds out what I know. Nothing is going to stop him."

"I've stopped him before, and the Order _will_ help. Trust me," Harry said, still gazing at Draco.

"Why would the Order help _me _Harry? I'm _Draco Malfoy_, the boy who almost killed Dumbledore," Draco cried, not understanding.

"Draco, can we talk about that? Just for a bit? I have a couple questions," Harry asked, once again changing topics.

"Answer my question…and then we'll talk about it," Draco compromised, shifting nervously in his chair.

"Er, right, the Order would help you because now that Voldemort's looking for you, you're not on his side anymore. I don't know if this is what you wanted or not, but you're on our side now; you're working with the Order."

"I'm involved in this?" Draco asked with a look of dread on his face.

"Draco, you're stronger than you think, you'll survive. And, you've _been_ in this since that mark was burned into your skin," Harry said, looking at the scarred Dark Mark. Malfoy pulled his left arm under the table with a frightened look on his face. He didn't want to be in this war. Hell, the thing hadn't really started yet and he already hated it. Hated it for knowing what it would bring. Harry flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Can we talk about Dumbledore now?" Draco consented because he knew that if Harry was asking to talk about it, then the Gryffindor _needed_ to talk about it. "Why were you going to kill him? I don't care what your answer is anymore, I've gotten over that. I just want to know the real reason."

"I…I was going to kill him because…because the Dar-Voldemort was going to punish me if I didn't, and he was going to kill my _family_!" Draco cried. Harry didn't say anything for a moment.

"So, you didn't _want_ to kill him?"

"Harry, I won't lie to you. I _did_ want to kill him. Up until the point where my wand was pointed at his chest. Then I realized that I just couldn't do it, no matter what the consequences were. If I had killed him, I would have been one of Voldemort's most honored Death Eaters, like my father," Draco tore his gaze away from Harry's green eyes, focusing on his lap.

"Why did you want to be like your father?" Harry cried, not thinking about what he was implying.

"I was _raised_ to want to be my father! I was told ever since birth that I would do great things, serve the Dark Lord well, and rise to his right hand, where my father was. It was only after I found out what my father _really _wanted me to become, did I start to refuse. It started with the Dumbledore assignment; then they'd beat me, give me another chance. I never took another chance, I just keep remembering Dumbledore's eyes, and god…if I ever see that look in another's eyes I'm going to snap. It was horrible. You don't even know," Draco said putting his trembling hands to his hair and running his fingers through the silky strands. He looked back up, "You were there weren't you? I always figured that you had just heard about it, but that's not possible. You _saw_ Severus kill Dumbledore, you _saw_ me try to, didn't you?" Harry dropped his head.

"Yes, I saw it all Draco. Dumbledore spelled me so I couldn't move, and I was under my invisibility cloak. I saw…everything," He said, his voice almost an inaudible whisper. Draco just nodded and Harry wisely dropped the subject.

"Hungry?" He asked, opening the refrigerator, all sadness gone from his voice now. Only his green eyes showed what he was really thinking.

"Not really. You have something." Draco made to stand up, but Harry was faster.

"Well, you're hungry now. You've barely eaten anything all week, I can _still_ feel your rib cage," Harry said, forcing Draco back into the chair.

"Do you really spend that much time feeling around my torso?" Draco asked with a smirk on his face. Harry blushed a bit,

"You know you don't mind it," He retorted and Draco wondered if it was really a joke, "Anyway, I'm healing you. So I'm entitled to that—free of complaints, thank you." Harry handed Draco a sandwich that he had spelled together and sat down with one of his own,"_Eat it_, Draco," He commanded, and the platinum blonde-haired boy followed orders with a glare. Both boys were left in silence to ponder their thoughst, which, unbeknownst to them, were fairly similar, and quite related.

_Was Harry joking when he said that I didn't mind him 'healing' me? Do I _want_ him to be serious about that? Merlin! This is _Harry Potter_, my school rival of six damn years. And now…he's my…friend? Why do I not care when he touches me, when contact in general is repulsing and painful? When I look in his eyes…Shit. I should _really _not be thinking these things…_ Draco went back to his sandwich, although his eyes lingered on Harry for a fraction of a second longer.

_Was I joking when I said that? Was _he _joking when _he_ said _that_? How come I consider him a friend now, after all these years of insults, curses and fights? All the years of detentions? All the years of hate sparking between us? Why the hell does my breath stop when I look into his eyes? What the hell is going on?_ Harry thought, abandoning his sandwich to run his hands through his hair.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked and Harry looked up in confusion, "You run your hands through your hair when something's wrong," Draco commented in answer to Harry's unspoken question.

"Since when did you become so observant?" Harry asked, laughter in his eyes but not showing in his features.

"Potter, I've _always_ been observant. You just weren't observant enough to notice," Draco quipped, laughing softly; Harry joined him, "What's wrong Harry?" He persisted after a minute.

"Nothing serious, I'm just a bit…confused," Harry said; he wouldn't tell Draco what was _really _bothering him for the world.

"Talk, Potter," Draco commanded.

"Draco, it's not really something that I should talk about…with you," Harry said, continuing to mess with his hair.

"Hmmm. Does it _involve_ me?" Draco asked with a smirk on his face, Harry blushed and stood up.

"No! Yes! I don't know…I'm going to go read for a bit. Do whatever you want," He said quickly and made to sprint out of the room, but Draco grabbed his wrist.

Before either of them knew what was happening, lips were pressed against theirs; warm, sweet and comforting. Without thinking, Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders, pulling him into his chest. The Slytherin's finger's fluttered on Harry's shoulders, unsure whether to pull the boy tighter or push him away. Harry pulled back a bit.

"Draco…" He whispered, an odd look in his eyes. Draco slipped out of Harry's grasp and stumbled back a few steps.

"Shit, Harry. I didn't mean to….well…it's just…I don't know," Draco started desperately, trying extremely hard to keep a blush off his face. Harry, as though the full meaning of what Draco had just done didn't arrive to him yet, laughed and hugged him.

"I don't really give a damn Draco, and yes, what I was thinking earlier had something to do with you," He breathed in Malfoy's ear. Draco smiled and squeezed Harry's shoulders.

"Can I read with you?"

"Only if you actually _read_," Harry said, smirking.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone; I would love to hear what you think about this chapter, so don't hesitate to review or comment!

-The Wykkyd

**TheseBrokenWings**: Yeah, I liked that line too. Just couldn't resist putting it in there. Thanks for the 'heads' up' on Draco's IC-ness. I'll keep an eye out for it of course. I think I found the places you're thinking of, but if you don't mind, I won't change it. About the post-HBP plot-line, I figured I might as well write one before the seventh book comes out!

**silver**: Thanks. Yes, the HP/DM has officially started. It'll be a while before they figure that out officially though, ;).

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thanks, we'll see what Hermione thinks in the next chapter!

**0xoox0friendless0xoox0**: Er…you're welcome? Glad you're enjoying the story, and thanks for the comment.

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Oh, they won't do much else for a while now along those lines, I'm sure they'll get around to it though, ;)

**SpeechlessQuestion**: Thanks, I'll work on developing the 'love' part now!

**Navy RavenLacra**: Sounds like a good mantra to me! Thank you, and I'll look back and see about the spelling error you found. Yes, the ending was fun for me to write, albeit a bit vague. Looking back on it, it sort of implies other 'activities' that progress between the two boys, and that wasn't supposed to look like that…but, I still like the ending. Thanks for the comment!

**Inbear2004**: I hope this next chapter answers some of your questions! About Voldemort: no, he's not such a threat right now. I mean, he's there, but still pretty much in the distance. I'm not really sure how much of a threat he'll be in the future, for Draco at least. Lucious is pretty high on the 'Draco's problems' list.

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: Romances, romances! They are fun to write. I don't mind the length of anyone's comment, be it long or short. It's still a comment! So don't worry 'bout it.

**Jb**: I was thinking of it as more of a comfort kiss. There's nothing official happening to the two of them yet. But, I do agree with you; it was a bit rushed. Thanks for your comment though!

**DARK-ENDLESS-LOVER**: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying my story.

Ok, thanks again to all of you. Next chapter will be up really soon.


	6. Insane

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 5), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Well, chapter 6 submitted on 6-6-06. That's neat. I should have submitted it at 6 minutes and 6 seconds past 6 o'clock. Ok, that's enough '6's' for now. I'll stop.

CHAPTER 6 of **Catalyst**- Insane

_

* * *

Harry-_

_I just read your letter. I'm assuming that you're on first-name basis with Malfoy because he's your…friend? Of course, I'll try to give him a chance. I would really like to hear the full story someday, but not in a letter. Mrs. Weasley's going to get Malfoy's things today. I simply told her it was a new friend of yours who's staying with you to keep you company for a bit. She looked delighted when she heard this. She likes the idea of you having company. I don't know how I feel about it yet, I'm worried that the D.E's are going to find you because of him; but I'm willing to trust you for now, Harry. Just be extra careful, for Draco as well as yourself._

_As for Snape, they're going to question him tomorrow, but a death sentence won't be in order. Believe me, Moody was all for it, but Tonks and the others vehemently opposed this. I'll let you know more later._

_I understand why you won't come to the Burrow, especially now that Malfoy's staying with you. But we're allowed to worry Harry, and you know we do._

_-Hermione_

_P.S. I spelled this, only you can read it._

Harry put the letter under the floorboard when he kept all the other letters he got from the wizarding world, sighing. Well, what did he expect? Hermione to just _love_ the fact that _Draco Malfoy _was _living_ with him? Hermione, Ron and Harry had been enemies of Draco for all six years together at Hogwarts. While it always seemed more like Harry's personal rivalry, Ron and Hermione were quite involved at times. But Hermione had only seemed _tolerant_ of the situation. Harry didn't realize that he had hoped she would be _more_ than tolerant until he realized that he was disappointed. Draco chose this moment to walk in, a tube of bruise balm in his hand.

"Harry? You seemed a bit depressed," Draco said, storing the balm away and sitting down across from Harry. The hero gave a sardonic laugh.

"Depressed? Is that so different from what I normally am?"

"Harry, stop asking for sympathy and sit down. We're going to talk. About everything and anything, whenever and wherever you want," Draco demanded, pulling Harry into a chair.

"Well, I don't want to talk about anything right now, so you can postpone your lecture," Harry said dully, his tone an obvious contradiction to his words. Draco laughed without amusement.

"No. Listen to me Harry; if you have something you want to talk about, anything at all, we'll talk. If you're thinking at three in the morning and want to talk about it, wake me up. I know this sounds off, but I'm past you being who you are, were. I don't care if you're Harry Potter and I'm Draco…whoever, but you need to talk about what's happened to you," Draco said, looking straight into Harry's green eyes.

"Draco, I don't know if I want to talk about it with…well, _you._ Don't be offended, but you're still Draco Malfoy, even if you don't posses the Malfoy name anymore. I don't know if I can…" Harry mumbled, laying his head in his arms and sighing.

"Harry, dammit, I don't care who we are. You're holding in all these feelings, and it's ripping you to pieces. Maybe _you_ can't tell, but _I_ can. I've changed Harry. You know it. And no, I don't like the change, but it's what comes out of all this." The Slytherin said dejectedly. Harry looked up,

"Why do you even _care_ what I'm feeling right now?" Harry asked a bit defensively. Suddenly, he realized that he had thought he knew Draco, knew why he was like this. But now…he didn't think he had even touched the tip of the iceberg.

"Because now I….I don't know, Potter! Maybe I consider you sort of a lifeline for me; someone there in-between Voldemort and me. But let's just say that I'm grateful you let me stay with you that first night, healed me…protected me. And you have no idea how hard it is for me to say that."

"Don't forget, I spent six years throwing hexes and insults at your proud figure. On the contrary,I_ do_ know what it takes for you to say that," Harry paused to take a deep breath, "Maybe you're right Draco. Maybe _we_ should talk. But if that means that if I start telling you things, you have to tell me what's on _your_ mind." Draco considered; did he really want to tell Harry what he was thinking? Of course asking Potter to tell him what was on the hero's mind wasn't exactly fair unless he did the same thing. _Damn! I can't believe I'm doing this with Potter!_

"Fine. You first. What are you thinking about Harry? You're still acting depressed," Draco prompted. Harry sighed and buried his face in his arms again.

"I told Hermione you were here, you know, with me. I had hoped she would have at least been _supportive_; understood why you're here. I got a reply letter today." Draco raised an eyebrow, waiting for Harry to continue, "She's lenient about the whole thing, but she's not accepting it yet. I didn't tell her about our…association, whatever it is, but I just wanted her to be a bit more supportive of the decision. And, _of course_, she's worried that the Death Eaters are going to breeze in here and kill me because you're here. I didn't want anyone else _worrying_. I'm _sick_ of worrying!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry, unlike you and I who have large parts in this war and who have a certain amount of understanding with one another, me and Hermione, as well as Ron, are just school rivals. You can't expect her to like this idea, no matter how you feel about it. She's not going to completely understand without knowing as much as you do, and I don't really think anyone else should now about that. I didn't even mean to tell you but…" Draco stood up and wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders; a tingling sensation jolted up the hero's spine. "And, I'd also like to talk about us, and about what our relationship is," Draco whispered.

"I don't even know if you can call it a relationship Draco," Harry said, leaning back into the Slytherin, "I don't know what to call it. It's all happening a bit fast, don't you think? I can't call you my friend, but we sure as hell aren't enemies anymore, not after…well, _that_, yesterday. But you seem to _understand_ me, Draco. I mean, 'Mione and Ron understand to a point, but you've been in the same place I was, you can actually relate to everything that's happened to me. You know what's expected of me, you know why. You make me feel like I'm grounded; you've kept me from torturing myself any more. I can't decide who's keeping who safe here."

"Granger and Weasley will never understand exactly what you're going through, Harry. I don't really understand parts of it myself, but I can relate. I _know _how evil Voldemort is. I _know_ what he can and _will_, do to people. But what other people think doesn't matter anymore Harry. What are we? Is their even a name for people who aren't enemies, not friends, but still…involved…like that?" Draco asked, thinking of that kiss, _This is awkward. There is no _way_ that I am actually falling for Potter. I _can't_ fall for Potter. I think I _want_ to though, I'm insane. Completely, utterly, insane. Damn_. Harry broke Draco's momentary stream of thoughts by answering his question.

"Yeah: a spur-of-the-moment, sporadic, unannounced, shocking, random, love-hate relationship," Harry said dryly, all of a sudden filled with regret that that was all their relationship could ever be. _Do I even want it to be more?_ He wondered; Draco laughed softly.

"Leave out the sporadic and random, and that's not a bad description. But, is that all it could be?" He whispered softly. Harry's eyes widened a bit at Draco's question, did the Slytherin want it to be more as well?

"I don't know Draco. I'm confused, I've spent so many years hating you on the outside, and damn confused on the inside, that I don't know how to treat you now. I thought I hated you, but now, I'm not sure I ever did. There was always competition, but was it really hate?" Harry asked softly.

"I don't know. I thought that I hated you for being so famous, so perfect. I always thought that you loved your fame, that you took what you could get. It was only this month that I realized what position you were in. I misunderstood you for six years. I think rivalry was a good term for what we were. We were complete opposites. You, a strong hero; me, a dark wizard, carrying on my family's track record of being Voldemort's followers. It was natural that we were on different sides then, but now, I'm not sure we _are_ on different sides. Good and evil are so specific Harry. Sometimes I don't think I'm either. I've done terrible things to win Voldemort's favor, so I'm not a good person. But does not being good make you evil?"

"No. You're not evil Draco. You're father is, Voldemort is, the other Death Eaters are. But not you; not compared to them. Good and evil are a matter of perspective; it's all how you look at it. Voldemort told me once that there's no such thing as good and evil, only power, and those willing to strive to achieve it. He has a point I suppose. But you're not evil. I don't know why, but I can just tell," Harry said, his voice fading to a whisper. Draco squeezed his shoulders in a hug again, but still kept them folded around Harry.

"I suppose I'll just trust you on that," Draco said.

"Do. Anyway, to be straightforward, we have to go shopping," Harry stated, changing the subject rather abruptly. Draco seemed both surprised and worried. How could Harry jump around from a serious and complex topic, to a simple one in a matter of seconds?

"Harry, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I mean, you, and me, and the fact that we're together, and the fact that we're both hunted by Death Eaters, and the fact that I have no wand and all that, does _not_ make it very safe. Even in the muggle world. Spies are _everywhere_," Draco said emphatically, releasing Harry and sitting back down.

"I never said it was going to be safe, but you need a wardrobe and some other things. We'll go someplace a ways from here, where it's crowded. I was thinking on of the malls in London. And, we'll disguise ourselves. I know you're vain self hates all the color you have to wear while you're borrowing my clothes," Harry said with a laugh, Draco smirked.

"It doesn't help that you wear so much damn _red_. Of all colors Potter! Don't you ever wear black?"

"Does this look red to you?" Harry said, tugging at his black shirt.

"And why do you wear black, and give me red?" Draco asked, tugging at the shirt he was borrowing.

"Host's rights, Draco. Anyway, we should go tomorrow. It's going to be Saturday, so the malls will all be busy; just what we need. What do you say?" Harry asked, perking an eyebrow. Draco considered.

"Fine. Tomorrow. But, we have to be _beyond _careful." Harry nodded in response.

"Course. Let's go to bed," Harry stood up, pulling gently on Draco's shirt. The Slytherin stood next to him, a small smile on his face as he walked to the couch.

"Thanks Harry; thanks for everything," He whispered softly before he fell asleep. Harry smiled and kissed Draco's head gently, not really knowing what else to do besides walk away. _I am not suppose to give Malfoy these attentions. What would Hermione and Ron say? I'm going _insane_! But…is insane really that bad in this case?_

Harry woke Draco up around ten the next morning and the two prepared for their excursion.

"Draco, _eat_ already! You're acting like you're not hungry," Harry said as he wriggled into a red shirt with a black lightning bolt on it. Draco shrugged.

"I'm _not_ hungry Harry. Now you're starting to act like a…_mother_. But really, I'm worried about this." Harry sighed and placed a comforting hand on Malfoy's shoulder, brushing his lips right next to Draco's left eye that was still a bit bruised. The blonde-haired boy shivered with pleasure and confusion. _Harry, stop. Harry, don't stop. Harry…_

"Don't be worried," Harry consoled.

"I can't help it. Plus, I'm entitled to worrying."

"You're sounding like Hermione," Harry said playfully, dropping his hand and walking over to his mirror where he proceeded to tame his hair…a bit.

Half an hour later, both boys walked out of the house wearing glamour charms that darkened Draco's hair and hid his bruises, as well as changed both boys' eye color. Still, they were more than a bit nervous.

"How long has it been since you were actually _out_?" Draco asked as Harry hailed a taxi and the two of them stepped in. Harry dropped his backpack on the floor of the cab and pointed out the seat-belt to Draco.

"A while. I'd say three weeks; I have groceries and stuff delivered once a week so I don't _need_ to go out much," Harry replied simply, trying not to say anything that would make the cab driver suspicious. He rattled off the address of their destination, and sat back into the leather seats. His hand found Draco's, and he squeezed reassuringly although he left their fingers laced together.

"Come on Drake, over here," Harry said, pulling on a _very_ uncomfortable Draco's arm. The two weaved in and out of the mess of people walking in and out of shops in the mall, Harry pulling Draco around and forcing the Slytherin to get 'normal' clothes. "Drake, you can't walk around wearing silk dress shirts and slacks all the time! People just don't _wear_ that kind of stuff anymore. It's fine at your father—er, your house, but not out here. Take this, it'll fit you." Harry held out a dark grey shirt with a snake on the back. Draco looked at the design with interest.

"Sure. Looks ok, I guess. I don't know if it will go with my ha..."

"Drake, just so you know, that comment was about as gay as you can get," Harry commented with a smirk as he pushed the Slytherin boy over to the dressing rooms.

"Har—Nick," Draco said, using the name that the two of them had given each other in the cab, "It says that you can only bring three items into the changing room."

"Screw it. Nobody actually follows that rule anyway. Now _go_; unlike you, shopping bores me to tears," Harry said with a smile,_ I'm actually having fun though, Malfoy. Who would have thought?_ To make himself look occupied, he browsed through a rack of shirts, pretending to actually look for one. But his mind kept thinking of Draco, which was just as good as it was bad. Harry was pretty sure he should not be thinking about his rival and enemy of six years constantly, and he was _very_ sure that he shouldn't be thinking _those_ thoughts.

Malfoy emerged from the dressing room several minutes later, beckoning Harry inside.

"Does this look ok Potter?" He asked, looking skeptically at himself in the mirror. Harry studied the grey shirt and jeans Draco was wearing, but mostly he studied _Draco_. The Slytherin boy was tall and deathly skinny, but he still had the wiry muscles that had built up from playing quidditch for all those years. His skin was still pale, his hair still platinum blonde—but his eyes were different. They weren't cruel, they weren't malicious; they seemed emptier. But still, they were much less hollow than when Draco had arrived on the Gryffindor's doorstep exactly eight days ago. Without thinking, or realizing it, Harry reached out and gently brushed Draco's neck, knowing that underneath the glamour charm there lay fading black and purple bruises there. Malfoy looked up from his reflection, silver pools melting into emerald ones.

"Harry?" He whispered.

"What?" Harry whispered back, still not removing his hand.

"Does this shirt look ok?" Draco repeated and Harry burst into laughter as he dropped his hand and slid it into the pocket of his torn jeans.

"It looks great Draco, hurry up and change back into your clothes. Then we'll have something to eat before heading back," The green-eyed teen said as he left the dressing room, shutting the door behind him.

Several minutes later both boys were sitting down and eating lunch with Draco's selected purchases sitting in bags on the floor near them.

"You know Drake, you have got to be the pickiest shopper I have ever met. And that's on a list that includes Ginny, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley," Harry teased lightly as he took a bit of his turkey sandwich; Draco gave him the 'Malfoy glare', then rolled his eyes.

"What can I say? This is _me_ we're talking about. I _have_ to look good," Draco retorted with a smirk, "Now, I'm going to go to bathroom, and _no_, I don't need your help to find it," The Slytherin said pointedly.

Harry raised his eyebrows, "I don't remember asking if you needed help…" He said sarcastically. Still, he watched Draco as he left their table, making sure he would be ok. Malls were funny like that, amid all the people around them it was easy to forget just how risky an excursion like this was. As he was about to take another bite of his lunch, a cold hand placed itself on his shoulder. Harry froze.

The hand wasn't Draco's.

* * *

Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It discussed and addressed quite a few things, but I tried to prevent it from moving to fast.

-The Wykkyd

**Catstaff**: Ahh yes, first cliff-hanger in the story so far. Hope to do more, ;) Thanks for your comment!

**SpeechlessQuestion**: Sorry, I just _had_ to stick that cliff-hanger in there. It was too perfect.

**Navy RavenLacra**: Well, I have the next chapter, but I really don't think the title of 'deity' fits me. Thank you very much though, and like I mentioned to SpeechlessQuestion, the ending _was_ too perfect not to include!

**yaeko**: Thanks for reading and commenting! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thank you. Go read the next chapter and find out!

**TheseBrokenWings**: I added that part in last-minute, and debated on if I should keep it or not, but I liked too much to omit. Glad you liked it too! I hope we get a chance to go over the Harry and Draco's conversation in the beginning of chapter 6, because I can't figure out how to make it less awkward. Thanks for alerting me to that though, I'll keep pondering it. :)

**Silver**: Thanks for your comment, enjoy the next chapter too!

**Inbear2005**: Death by cliff-hanger! I'm glad you liked the chapter and thanks for commenting.

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: You'll know soon…thanks for dropping a comment, I appreciate it.

**fifespice**: I'm glad you like the story so far, and thank you for taking the time to comment on each chapter. That's really awesome. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**Xkinky-bootsX**: Once again, welcome to the world of HP fanfiction, enjoy yourself here. Thanks for you comment; yes, I try to bring out the nicer side of Draco, because it's one we don't see that often in the books. I know he has it in him somewhere…;)

Thanks to all you guys who commented. Love is sent your way:)


	7. Dreaming Closer

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 6), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Sorry this is a day late. TheseBrokenWings has kindly agreed to be my beta and I was still working some things out. So now…beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

* * *

Potter put down his sandwich with an air of what he hoped appeared to be calm. Then he turned around…and piercing silver eyes stared back at him.

"Hello,_ Potter_," Lucius Malfoy uttered softly, dangerously. Harry swallowed in an attempt to dampen his dry mouth.

"Hello, _Malfoy_," He spat back as his hand went for the wand in his pocket.

"You have no idea how hard it is for me not to kill you right now; yet unfortunately, that is a privilege the Dark Lord retains," Lucius said quietly. Peripherally Harry saw Draco come out of the bathroom and freeze in panic. He could practically see the Slytherin's chest rising and falling rapidly as his breathing spiked. The Gryffindor forced a grim smile on his face.

"Well Lucius, one of us has to die, you know, either him or me. But, despite that, what do you think you're going to do? How many people are surrounding us? Five hundred? Actually, more. You'll find I'm resistant to the 'Imperius' curse, so me going with you quietly really doesn't figure into the picture," Harry commented as calmly as possible, even though his heart was about to burst through his chest. Lucius' eyes narrowed in anger. Harry noticed the slim tip of a wand press into his left arm: the arm where his Dark Mark lay imprinted.

"Maybe I'll simply call some help; there are many other ways of silencing you," Draco's father replied venomously, and Harry mentally kicked himself. Of _course_ there were other ways, a simple silencing spell for example. His breathing rate increased again.

Then he realized. The Dark Mark. Every time Voldemort needed Death Eaters, he simply touched his arm with a spell and apparently other Death Eaters could use it the same way. Pain relayed the call to the Dark Lord's followers; anyone who had the Dark Mark would feel it. Including Draco. Harry's stomach knotted up as he saw Draco gasp and clutch his left arm where his slashed mark lay, which of course was still concealed by a glamour charm. Luckily, the Death Eater in front of Harry didn't see Potter's hand fly to his wand in time to react.

"_Relashio!_" Harry whispered fiercely.

Lucius Malfoy flew back into the tables behind him, causing yells directed at the man and several people to look up at Harry, who leapt up after concealing his wand, grabbed the bags near his feet, and sprinted over to Draco. The Slytherin had sunken down against the wall, biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain. The black-haired teen grabbed Draco by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet, taking most of the injured teen's weight on himself.

"Come on Draco, in here," Harry whispered urgently, hauling Malfoy into the bathroom and placing a locking charm on the door. He heard the pounding of fists, a yell and incantation, then an explosion before thinking hard of his apartment just outside of London, and apparating the two of them home along with their purchases.

The ground was wrenched out from underneath their feet and an immense pressure filled their ears, but just when Harry thought his ear drums would split, the two teens crashed to the floor. The Gryffindor would have been pleased with the fact that he had successfully apparated another person with him to the exact spot where he had wanted to go, but Draco let out a pained cry and pressed his arm to his chest.

Harry dispelled the glamour charms on himself and the Slytherin while noticing that Draco's mark was glowing now, and the cut that went through it had split open letting blood pour down the boy's pale arm. Without pausing, Harry dashed to the medical cabinet and grabbed the Amotonic that he had used on Malfoy's back the other day. Calling a glass of water to him, he mixed the powder in it and brought it back to Draco. Potter took Malfoy's arm gently and whispered an apology before pouring the silvery mixture over the open wound. Draco's shriek of agony let Harry know all too well what that tonic must feel like on a wound like that. _I should have numbed it first; even if it didn't help with the mark, he wouldn't be able to feel this,_ Harry chided himself, letting Draco clutch his hand with white knuckles as the Slytherin screamed in pain.

Tears spilled down Malfoy's cheeks after he stopped screaming several minutes later and resolved to relax a bit, although he still gripped Harry's hand. Harry let Draco's left arm go and the Slytherin instantly brought it back to his chest, moaning in pain.

"Draco? Draco, are you okay?" Well, of course he wasn't. People who are writhing on the ground and screaming their lungs out generally aren't ok. Malfoy didn't respond to Harry's question and Potter put a hand on Draco's tear-stained cheek, running a thumb across his jaw as the silver-eyed boy shifted a bit and opened his eyes.

"Harry…" Draco started, but groaned again as the Dark Mark flashed green, then stopped glowing all together. Malfoy took a shuddering breath and fell forward into Harry, who immediately wrapped a protective arm around him and pulled him close, resting Draco's head on his shoulder. The Slytherin hung fairly limp in Potter's arms, considerably drained and weakened from the pain inflicted by the Dark Mark.

"That was…Lucius….wasn't…it?" Draco said in between breaths. Harry ran his hand through Draco's hair and murmured a soft 'yes'. Eventually, Malfoy pushed away from Harry when he felt strong enough to support himself. He was still shaking, but his arm didn't hurt as much and the fogginess inside his head had cleared. Harry looked into his eyes.

"Draco? Are you okay? Does your arm hurt at all?" Potter asked, concern etched into his face. Malfoy nodded feebly.

"Only a bit. I'll be okay. Harry…er, you can let go of my shoulder now," Draco said with a small smile. Harry dropped his hand from Malfoy's shoulder so fast you would have thought it had been burned, and a blush crept into his cheeks. Draco stood up, but Harry slipped an arm around his waist when the pale boy swayed a bit on his feet. The ebony-haired teen helped Draco over to the couch, settling him comfortably amid the pillows.

"_Stay_," Harry commanded, and Draco was about to make a retort about being treated like a dog when Potter brushed his lips over Malfoy's and gently lay down next to him. Draco looked at him in shock. After last time, he hadn't really been sure of what Potter _really_ felt about him. And now it was all the more confusing. "What….what are you doing?" He gasped, wincing a bit as his ribcage became uncomfortable and started throbbing. Harry pulled away from Malfoy and sat up blushing.

"I really don't know…I shouldn't have…your ribs still hurt…er…sorry." Harry rolled off the couch, his gaze set on the carpet.

"Wait Harry," Draco said as he grabbed Potter's wrist, "It's fine. My ribs are fine too," He said, even though they did hurt a bit. He tugged Harry next to him again, and curled up in the Gryffindor's warmth. _Well, this is ironic. If you had told me two months ago that I would be pressing my face into Potter's chest and clinging to him for dear life, I would have recommended my doctor,_ Draco thought as he clutched Harry's shirt and fell asleep.

Harry lay there, holding Draco, until he heard a sharp tapping noise on the window. He looked up to see a tawny owl pecking at the glass, and flying clumsily about. Carefully, he disentangled himself from Draco's arms and walked over to the gleaming glass to let the owl in. As soon as the window was open, it flew eagerly into the room and landed on the table, holding its leg out with a letter tied loosely to it. Harry took a breath and opened the envelope, already knowing what it would say.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We have received intelligence that you apparated yourself and another being from London to your place of residence this afternoon at six minutes prior to three._

_As you know, unlicensed wizards are not permitted to apparate in any way until they pass their apparation exam and receive an official license from the Ministry of Magic. Any further notices of your apparating the Ministry recives will be dealt with by permanently banning you from ever getting your official license. _

_We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy._

_Enjoy your holidays!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper Use of Magic Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

Harry couldn't contain his laugh when he read, '_Enjoy your holidays!'_, and Malfoy raised his head from the couch with a questioning expression on his face. Harry turned to him and held up the letter.

"Well, I've been warned I guess," The black-haired boy stated simply; Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Enlighten me."

"Well, how else was I supposed to get out of the mall? I _had_ to apparate, and I wasn't just going to leave you there," Harry replied.

"You _apparated_? You don't have your license, do you?" Draco asked as he sat up gingerly on the couch, careful not to agitate his sore ribs.

"No. It's not that hard to do really; I've been studying that over the summer as well. I've never tried it before today; figured I would use it when I really needed to," Harry said as he sat down next to Draco. The Slytherin took the letter and skimmed it quickly, laughing at the '_Enjoy your holidays!'_ part just as Harry had. _That's just sick,_ Draco thought, _the Ministry _knows_ what's happening, and they're _still_ wishing people happy holidays? Oh, yeah, my holiday's been great so far, torture, disownment, more torture, Dark Mark…_

"You're feeling sorry for yourself, I can tell," Harry said with a smirk, Draco just shrugged and handed the letter back.

"Well, what are you going to do now that you can't apparate?"

"Not apparate," Harry replied, unconcerned, and left the room to return with the afternoons shopping items the two boys had collected. "Let's put these away," Harry said, tossing Draco a bag of clothes. Malfoy caught the bag, wincing a bit when it crashed into his ribs, and then followed Harry back out of the room.

"Where do you want to put them?"

"Er…Why don't you take the closet, I never use it anyway." _God, did I just say that? Am I planning on letting Malfoy stay here for the rest of the friggin' summer?_ Harry asked himself, putting away the select items he had bought just for fun that day. _Well, to be honest, you _do_ like him now. Maybe a bit more than you want to admit…_ Harry closed his eyes for a second, clearing his head of thoughts like that. Something just didn't seem normal and natural for the two of them to be in the same room _actually_ talking about what they were _really _thinking, no matter what the subject. Then again, it wasn't normal for the two of them to curl up together on the couch…or cry in front of the other…or _kiss_ each other. That last one was _definitely_ not normal.

"Potter, I have some questions," Draco stated. Harry turned around with an eyebrow raised. Of course, he had expected questions, if not about his father and the Dark Mark, then about muggle items he'd seen at the mall, "What…what did Lucius say?" Malfoy said cautiously; Harry paused a bit, remembering. He had been so caught up with the fact that Lucius Malfoy had _found_ him, and then the Dark Mark and Draco that he hadn't really reflected on what the Death Eater had said.

"Er…not much at all really. He said something about wanting to kill me, but that Voldemort 'retained that right'. And then he said that he could call in the 'others', so they could…er…_silence_ me." Draco nodded a bit, a cloud falling over his face. But then he brightened and looked up at the Gryffindor again.

"Tell me about all those muggle things today. Like the moving stairs and…" Draco began to ramble on in an almost immature way—almost. Harry was able to keep from laughing out loud for the most part, but he couldn't help it when Malfoy wanted to know about the racks of CD's and DVD's on a shelf in one of the gaming stores. Really, who _doesn't _know what a CD is?

Harry answered as many of Draco's questions as possible, glad for the laughs he was getting, and also content just to talk to Draco without arguing. After an hour of amiable conversation, Harry rose to make dinner. He was getting hungry.

"Hold the questions on escalators for a bit, ok? I'm going to make dinner; any preferences?"

"I'm not really hungry, you can make something for yourself," Draco said, shrugging and standing up next to Harry, but avoiding eye contact. Harry looked at his new friend, concern in his eyes. Why the sudden mood change? A few minutes ago Draco had been happy, curious and talkative. Now, he seemed reclusive and uncomfortable. As much as he wanted to press the issue, Harry just shrugged and walked out of the room. Draco sat back down on the bed and subconsciously rubbed the Dark Mark that had been branded to his left arm. It still hurt: just the smallest prickle, but enough to remind him that it was indeed there. And to remind him what that connected him to. Not that he wanted it; he didn't even want to _see_ another Death Eater, but at the moment, he wasn't getting his way all that often. But here with Harry, things seemed to be going better. Besides the occasional breakdown, he wasn't quite so depressed or paranoid as he should, or would have been.

Malfoy's stomach rumbled; betraying his earlier comment to Harry. Draco had refused dinner because he didn't know if he would be able to keep it down. He felt sick: sick with fear. His questions and the answers Harry gave him about Muggle artifacts were distracting, but only for a bit. The Death Eater's had found Potter. And there was no way that after Lucius had recovered himself from Harry's spell he hadn't seen Draco against the wall, clutching his arm. So the Death Eater's knew where they were. Well, they had a general idea of where they were anyway.

The full force of their predicament hit him just then. The Death Eaters, Voldemort, would start searching for them. They would find them…and then…_no._ Draco forced those thoughts out of his head, he didn't want to die. He had come too close recently, and he wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Draco got up a bit shakily, grabbed a random book of the bookshelf and walked into the kitchen to find Harry eating spaghetti with a thoughtful expression on his face. The Golden Boy offered a faint smile, marred by a bit of concern. Draco waved it off and curled up on the couch to read. He eyes saw the words, but he couldn't seem to actually take any in. His mind was still reeling. He just _knew_ that his father would find him, he just felt it. Dammit, he had run for a week straight to escape them, and now, after barely a week had gone by with Harry, he would have to start moving again. If not for his own safety, then for Harry's. The raven-haired Gryffindor didn't need to be in danger because of him. _Oh no…now I sound like Potter when he says he can't stay with the weasel and such because he'll 'endanger' them,_ Draco thought, groaning inwardly. The Slytherin looked up to see Harry's emerald eyes staring right at him. Draco's heart stopped for a bit when his eyes met those shining green orbs, thinking: _Those eyes…so…beautif—_but he quickly recovered himself.

"What are you looking at?" Malfoy snapped. Harry just shrugged and went back to his spaghetti and for some reason Draco felt a smile tug the corners of his mouth. But he couldn't place why. "Hey Potter? Did you get an owl when you healed me last week? For using magic?"

"No." Harry would have left it at that, but he knew Draco wasn't going to give up so easily. "It's a bit of a story actually."

"We have time, it's not like we're going anywhere," The Slytherin said as he rolled his eyes. Harry set his fork down on the plate with a clink.

"Well to make a long story short, in the beginning of the summer Mrs. and Mr. Weasley figured that if I couldn't be convinced to stay with my relatives, or with them, that I should be able to use magic. Only in times of a crisis of course. So I'm allowed to use magic, sparingly, without the Ministry storming my house. Provided they even knew where I am of course. I figured a half-dead classmate in my house could be considered a crisis, so I healed you with magic," Harry said with a shrug, going back to his food as Draco stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Don't you dare wake me up with all your stumbling about," He warned as he walked into Harry's bedroom to get changed. When Harry washed his dish and entered his room, Malfoy was just shrugging into one of his new T-shirts, the smooth yet damaged skin on his stomach exposed just for a second until it was covered. For a reason quite unknown to Harry, he blushed but didn't take his eyes off Malfoy until the Slytherin turned around.

"What are you looking at?" He snapped for the second time that day, tugging his baggy pajama bottoms down just so they hung off his hips in an incredibly arousing way. Harry wiped the blush off his face as best as he could and shrugged, taking his own shirt off to change as Draco left. The Slytherin grabbed the blanket that was neatly folded on the back of the couch and curled up in it, willing sleep to come soon. He didn't want to think about his father, or Voldemort, or death. He just wanted to sleep…

Harry sank down into his pillow, thankful for some time to think without being…distracted by Draco. Why did his heart start pounding whenever Draco started to speak? Or whenever he needed to change his bandages and Harry helped? The Gryffindor shook his head, as if to clear it. No, he _couldn't_ have feelings like that for Draco. But, he sure wouldn't mind kissing the living daylights out of him.

Potter groaned in frustration and rolled onto his stomach, pressing his face firmly into the pillow. He needed to think _productively_. Lucius Malfoy. There. That was productive. _He had to have seen me get Malfoy out of there, which means he knows where both of us are. And he knows that we're staying together; well, he should. It certainly wouldn't be hard to figure out. Death Eater searches will increase, people will die because Voldemort wants to find us. Then what?_ Harry lifted his head out of the pillow so he could breathe; this was really the first time during the summer that he had actually thought what would happen next. He couldn't just sit here for the whole summer. But then again, it would be safer. _Screw 'safer', I have to defeat him! I _have_ to, because I'm the only person who can, dammit! I can't go back to school because of him. Hogwarts; the one place where I felt safe, loved and at home. And Voldemort pushed me away from it. Because of me he's killed Cedric and Sirius and he initiated Dumbledore's death. Because of me…my fault…always my fault…my…fault._

……

"_Harry. How nice of you to join us. I'm sure we're all very honored to be in the Golden Boy's presence." A cold, high-pitched, mocking voice drifted into his ears, coming closer ever second. Death Eaters snickered, without amusement, at their lord's comment while Voldemort spoke again, "Harry, come here."_

_Harry stood, fear lancing through him as those hideous red eyes locked on his. But he didn't move any closer. Suddenly, there was a wand tip at the base of his neck and pain rocketed through him. Harry dropped to his knees and doubled over, his hands clutching his scar._

"_I think it's time to take a more…_direct_… approach to finding you. See you soon…very soon…" Voldemort's voice echoed around the room, tearing into Harry like a knife. The teen boy bit his lip to keep from screaming…but his head was threatening to spit in two and…_

Harry's eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath through his mouth which was open in a silent scream. His hands clamped to his head, where his scar was burning viciously. Harry bit his lower lip to keep from crying out until he tasted blood and felt a slight, stinging pain in his mouth. _Breathe…just breathe…focus…breathe_. Harry repeated this mantra for several minutes until the burning in his forehead tamed to a bad headache. With effort, he propped himself up on one elbow and listened to make sure he hadn't woken Draco. Harry could hear his guest tossing and turning violently on the couch, no doubt plagued by dreams like his own. _Aren't we a pathetic pair,_ Harry thought sardonicly.

……

_It was pitch black. But he heard breathing: his own panicked, sporadic, and shallow breaths, the excited breaths of the Death Eaters surrounding him, and the raspy gasps of the Dark Lord. Cold hands slid over his bare shoulders and down his arms to finally brush the metal chains on his wrists, then to move around his chest, and over his back causing Draco to shiver with both cold and fear._

"_Draco. What a pity, what a pity," Voldemort whispered into his ear as he removed his hands and drew his wand. Draco closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. _

"_Lord." One Death Eater came forward and kneeled before his master as he lowered his hood, revealing long, silvery blonde hair. "My Lord, please, let me. He has disgraced me in inconceivable ways, let me have the privilege. It was, after all, I who found him and the Potter boy." _

_The Dark Lord looked murderous._

"_It does not matter who found them, _Lucius._ I AM YOUR LORD! I have every right and privilege to deal with the boy who could have ruined us all. You forget your place," Voldemort spat, his eyes burning with rage, "Bring me Potter," He demanded as an afterthought. Lucius Malfoy scrambled to his feet as fast as possible and all but fled the room. Minutes later he came back, dragging a half-unconscious Harry Potter. Draco looked at his peer with pity, but he received a cold, condemning glare in return. _

"_Traitor!" Harry spat to Draco as he was dragged past and shackled to the wall._

"_Traitor!" Lucius said with contempt, sneering at the boy who used to be his son, "You have betrayed everyone boy. No one trusts you, no one should. You're weak, WEAK! And you deserve to die!"_

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!" _

Silver eyes opened wide in fear and a choked cry escaped his dry throat. Not _another_ dream. After several seconds of shocked silence, he relaxed a bit and tried to still his trembling body, yet he didn't make much progress. That green flash of light was imbedded in his mind…and the voices… Draco clenched his teeth and sucked in as much air as possible, then exhaled slowly. Harry would die because of him. Lucius would find him, and give Harry to the Dark Lord. And then they would both die: the Chosen One, and the promising Death Eater-gone wrong.

Draco ran his hands through his hair, trying to think something happy. Harry came to mind first, much to his utter confusion and embarrassment. He _still_ couldn't figure out what he felt towards his one-time-rival. Kissing was one thing, especially in a situation like this where contact like that was comforting, but actually being _attracted_ to Potter in that way was another. But still, Harry created a safe orb around him, or at least the comforting illusion of one. Hesitantly Draco stood up and moved silently to the doorway to Harry's room. He found the Gryffindor sitting up with his back facing the door. Malfoy moved to the bed and gingerly sat down, holding out a hand to place on Potter's shoulder. But the Slytherin thought better than to disturb Harry now, and he settled for shifting to press his back against Potter's.

Harry heard Draco enter the room and sit down on his bed next to him. He couldn't help but smile a bit when Malfoy shifted behind him, leaving the two back-to-back. He expected himself to automatically pull away; not only was this Malfoy, but he never liked physical contact after nightmares. But, to his utter surprise, he didn't move at all, except to lean back into Draco slightly. The two boys sat like that for five minutes in comfortable silence, each pondering their own dreams.

"Voldemort was there. And the Death Eaters. He gave me a message. He's looking for me constantly now. I think he knows about what I want to do this summer," Harry said after the silence. He waited for Draco to share his dream, as he knew the other boy would.

"They were going to kill me. But my father—Lucius, was begging the Dark Lord to let him kill me. Voldemort was angry, and sent him to get you. You…you hated me for being a traitor. Voldemort killed us," Draco said softly in short sentences. Despite his efforts, his voice still held a slight tremor, just the smallest hint of fear and sadness.

"I'm…I'm not angry at you Draco. Not anymore anyway. Just after Dumbledore…died, I hated you and Snape so much. If I had seen you anywhere…well, the Chosen One isn't supposed to do things like that I guess," Harry laughed sardonically, "But I can't hate you anymore. Not after everything that's happened." Harry sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"You don't need to console with me, Potter," Malfoy whispered quietly, taking extreme comfort in the slight contact with Harry. Both teens slid back into easy silence, Harry staring at the floor, and Draco looking into the darkness across the room. After almost an hour, Harry felt Draco slip sideways and fall onto his side. Turning around, he saw Draco fast asleep, his blonde hair splayed over his forehead. The Gryffindor gently moved Draco to a more comfortable position and laid down on the other side of the bed, his eyes still resting on Malfoy. _He's so…peaceful when he's sleeping,_ Harry observed, his eyes trailing over his head, curving over his forehead, tracing Draco's small nose, brushing over his thin, delicate lips and sliding down his long neck. _He's beautiful too_…

Harry fell asleep.

* * *

For those of you who don't get the title to this chapter, it has to do with the fact that the dreams brought the two 'closer'. Just some random idea I had.

So…thanks for reading, and any comments will be welcome (omitting flames of course, which are just idiotic).

The Wykkyd

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Ahh, more romance later, I promise. Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

**Navy RavenLacra**: Wow, thank you so much; I'm flattered! Thanks so much for your comment, it made me smile!

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thank you. Well, they're just confused. I think it'd be a bit weird to fall in love with your enemy of six years over the process of a week, so we have to give them that. ;)

**Jb**: Thanks. Yes, they are confused, but they'll work themselves out. Thanks for commenting!

**DRACOxISxMYxBITCH**: Thanks for reading and commenting, I'll accept that cookie too….:)

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: Interesting about the coinciding song/story comparison. I agree with you about the Ministry, you put that very nicely, ;). I also really liked the picture of Harry and Draco sitting back-to-back on his bed, I put a lot of detail into that part so people could picture it. Glad you liked it!

**TheseBrokenWings**: Thanks a lot, glad I got all those kinks out, and thanks for pointing them out.

**Fire x Ice**: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story.

**Peaceful Angel**: Thank you.

**fifespice**: Lucius has been looking for Draco for about a week now, so he was bound to run into him somewhere, with all the awesome powers the Lucius has…;) Thanks for your comment.

**citruspeach**: Thank you. I'm enjoying writing the 'sticking-to-canon-happenings'. It's fun. Nice rhyme by the way. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Fate Weaver 42**: Thank you, I'm glad you think I capture Draco and Harry well. I'm catching on to their character's now, so they're a lot of fun to write. Thanks for your comment!


	8. Connected At A Distance

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 7), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

Sorry this got submitted so late, I've been having trouble uploading. Thanks for your patience!

Chapter 8 of **Catalyst**- Connected At A Distance

* * *

In the morning a package was sitting on the table neatly wrapped in brown paper; a letter was sitting on top of it. Harry shut the door to his room, just in case he made enough noise to wake the lightly-sleeping Slytherin. He read the letter first.

_Harry dear,_

_So good to hear from you; we've all been so worried. I think it's wonderful that you have a friend staying with you! It calms me a bit when I know that you have someone there with you in case something comes up. Right, here are the items that you and your friend needed:_

_One wand for your guest (11 inches, ebony, two unicorn hairs)_

_Advanced Healing vol. 3_

_Healing for the Prepared Wizard_

_Advanced Potions for Defense Practice_

_Jinxes, Incantations, Hexes and Others for Defense_

_And fifty galleons from your account (I do hope you're not doing anything rash and dangerous with those)._

_Of course you know this, but you are always welcome here at the Burrow; we would just love to see you again. Perhaps you could visit sometime? Your friend could come too of course. Ron and Hermione are wondering if your friend is from Hogwarts. Write back soon dearie._

_Lots of love from all of us,_

_Molly_

Harry smiled a bit and put the letter aside as he tore open the package. Draco's wand was set in the trademark 'Olivander's' box, the books were tied together with some twine, and the galleons he had requested were in a 'Gringotts' bag. Harry couldn't pinpoint a reason to want wizard money right now, but he thought he might as well be prepared if something came up where the money would be useful. He knew Draco was going to be overjoyed to have a wand again, but Harry didn't go to wake him yet. He wanted the recovering boy to rest as much as possible.

Harry ate a quick bowl of cereal, set Draco's place for when the sleeping boy woke, and went to take a shower. Once inside the bathroom he stripped off his pajamas and turned on the warm water, letting it slowly trickle down his face and saturate his hair. While Harry slathered soap on his body, his mind drifted back to his nightmare. Voldemort had been searching for him all summer, but there hadn't been much reason to worry about being found until yesterday. He was quite sure that Voldemort had found a way to communicate with him once again through his dreams at night, but that also meant false visions could come to him.

Harry leaned against the tiled wall, sighing. He didn't know what to think about these visions. The dream last night could be real, _was_ real, but Voldemort might not start prioritizing his search effort until much later in the summer, or he might have already started his vigorous search. There were infinite possibilities and too many ways to interpret the dream. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door which broke Harry's reverie.

"Potter! It's been twenty minutes! I don't want to wait all day," Draco yelled through the door. Harry cracked a smile, this was the old Malfoy that he knew and it was good to see a bit of that spark return.

"Shove off Malfoy! I'll be out in a minute!" The Gryffindor shouted in return, turning off the water, toweling himself dry and dressing quickly. When he opened the door he saw Draco looking at his wand as well as the new potions book he had requested from Mrs. Weasley. When he heard Harry step out of the bathroom, Draco turned around.

"Well, took you long enough," He sneered, brushing past Harry and closing the bathroom door behind him. Harry just smiled a bit at this change of personality and sat down on the couch to read one of the new healing books Mrs. Weasley had been kind enough to send him.

Fifteen minutes later Malfoy came out of the bathroom and put his pajamas and dirty clothes in the wash.

"Potter! Tell me how to work this contraption," Draco demanded, kneeling down and staring into the washing machine with a rather perplexed expression on his face. Harry snickered.

"Say 'please', Malfoy."

"Please," Draco snarled.

"What do you want help with again?"

"_Please_ help me with this washing machine contraption," Draco answered, rolling his eyes. Harry smirked a bit and walked over to lean in the doorway to the washing room. He pointed to a box of detergent on the lid of the machine.

"Take a scoop of that, and put it in there," Harry instructed, waiting until Draco caught up. "Okay, now push the dial on the far right in, and turn it to 'wash'. Make sure the door's shut tight, and then pull the dial out. It'll start." The black-haired boy watched as Draco carefully followed his directions, and cracked a smile when the Slytherin jumped a bit as the machine turned on and water rushed forcefully into the chamber. "You know, I could have just cast a '_scourgify'_ on them," Harry said matter-of-factly. Draco gave him a look that would have flattened someone who wasn't used to them.

"Well, aren't you a helpful little prat," Malfoy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Just so you know, Potter, in two days I'll be able to '_scourgify_' my own clothes." Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"So, it's your birthday soon?"

"_Really_ Potter, now you sound like Goyle," Draco snapped and brushed past the Gryffindor.

At first, Draco was elated that he was able to slip back into his old routine of snapping at Harry for every glance the Golden Boy sent him.

He had woken when Harry did, realizing that he had fallen asleep on his host's bed. On _Harry Potter's_ bed. He decided this couldn't continue. He could never truly hate Potter after all he had done for him the past week, but the friendship, no matter how much he wanted it, could never work. Like it or not, he was once a Death Eater's son; he still was by blood. Harry was a hero: selfless to the end, caring and compassionate, and…rather vulnerable at the moment. _We're from different worlds. I've spent over a week here being tolerant—civil—nice to him, but it can't stay this way. I wish it could. But he'd be vulnerable to the Dark Lord through me, and I'm vulnerable through him. It's just not a strong friendship; we'd just endanger each other._ So Draco Malfoy had decided to start distancing himself from Harry. He needed to sever the cords that connected the two.

And at first, it worked. At first, it was almost easy. And at first, he didn't care. But by the end of the day he had put on a mask of tolerance-bordering-on-contempt to hide the misery that lay beneath it. Six years of being horrible to the Gryffindor was enough, he didn't want to start again.

But the worst part was that Harry never gave in to Draco's taunts, his snide comments, his insults. He just smiled a bit, occasionally adding in a playfully snappish comment, and left the room. And every time Harry felt, Draco felt a lump grow in his throat.

Lying on the couch that night, Malfoy lost himself in thought. _This isn't what I want anymore. I don't want to torture Po—Harry anymore. I want him to be someone I can trust and rely on, without forcing sarcastic remarks. I don't want to do this to him; I don't want to do this to me. But what if he was killed because Lucius found me, and thus him? What if Harry died because of me? That's why friendship won't work. It won't ever work._ With a sad sigh, Draco rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes. He dreamt of Harry's smiling face.

Harry lie tucked under his covers thinking as well. He was amazed at all the different sides of Draco. The night when Malfoy had shown up on his doorstep and stumbled into his house hardly strong enough to stand exposed one side of him: the fearful side. Then there was the anger, the sadness, the understanding, the comforting, the arrogant, the selfish and spoiled sides…the list went on and on. At school, Harry had seen Draco's arrogant side; his selfish, spoiled and haughty sides. And he had thought he hated all that. But now he knew Draco so much better. He knew that Malfoy was indeed human; quite exposed to raw emotion. He liked this new Draco; he liked it more than he wanted to admit.

And strangely enough, Harry didn't considerably mind the old Malfoy who had shown through today. The Slytherin needed to sort himself out after everything that had happened over the past month. He, unlike Harry, hadn't had a month cooped up in an apartment to think about everything and anything. So Harry was content to let him figure out what the Slytherin wanted.

All night Harry slept fitfully, haunted by fragments of nightmares that spun in and out of his head almost as fast as they came. Sometimes he saw Snape killing Dumbledore, other times Sirius' face flashed in front of him. And at one point during the night, Harry saw fleeting images of screaming people, and Death Eaters chasing after them. But the vision was blurry, and when he woke up in the morning he couldn't remember who those faces belonged to.

Draco woke when light seeped into the room through one of the shutters. _Potter must have left it open…_ As much as he didn't want to leave the warmth of the blanket, Draco threw it off himself and sauntered across the room to snap the shutters shut. When he opened the window a cold breeze slapped him in the face. It was going to be a dreary day. _Might as well do something,_ Draco thought as his eyes fell on the potions book he had requested last week. Perfect. Grabbing the book, Draco curled back up on the couch grabbing the blanket and pulling it over his pale legs for warmth.

When Harry walked in, he saw Draco sitting on the couch; one knee bent with an arm around it to hold the book on the other side. The Slytherin was obviously fascinated. His eyes were glued to the page, shimmering with happiness and curiosity, his forehead was furrowed slightly in concentration, and his free hand was absentmindedly running through his silken hair.

"Interesting?" Harry asked, grabbing four eggs from the refrigerator and cracking them into a pan. Draco was so enthralled with the 'Paralisectous Potion' he forgot to retort. Instead, he just shrugged a bit and continued reading. Harry turned the stove burner on, and was about to start making scrambled eggs for the two of them when there was a tapping on the window. Both boys looked up sharply, expecting the Weasley's owl, but instead there wasn't an owl at all, but a falcon. Harry stirred the eggs once more and practically leapt for the window, throwing it open and admitting the regal bird.

"Who's _that_ from?" Draco asked. Harry snatched the letter and glanced at the seal before tearing it open. It was red wax with the imprint of a phoenix amid flames adorning it.

"It's from the Order. The Order of the Phoenix. Remus wrote it!" Harry said excitedly. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Remus? As in Professor Lupin?" Harry nodded and pulled out a letter, leaning against the counter to read it.

As Harry started reading, Draco watched him over the top of his book. He saw Harry's face turned from excited anticipation to worry, from worry to fear. Then the letter started quivering when the Gryffindor's hands began to shake ever so slightly. After about two minutes, all emotion had left Harry's face; it was simply blank, numb. The letter fluttered to the floor and Harry walked out of the room looking like he was under the imperious curse and pale as a ghost. Draco stared after him and flinched when the door to Harry's bedroom slammed with enough force to shake the whole building. The Slytherin leapt to his feet and picked the letter up off the floor, unfolding it.

_Harry-_

_I don't know why the Order members picked me to tell you this. Something about being 'eloquently spoken'. I don't think that's much qualification for this job. First off, know that everyone is safe now. Don't forget that. Secondly, this is _not your fault_. Don't even think it. You couldn't have done anything._

_I'll just be straightforward, because that's the only way I can go about this. Last night the Burrow was attacked by Death Eaters. They broke in around one in the morning and raided it until they found Molly, Arthur, Fred and George, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Tonks upstairs in the bedrooms. If Tonks hadn't warned us staying at Grimmauld Place as soon as Voldemort's followers broke in, they family and guests would all be dead or captured right now. Myself, Moody and some of the other Aurors helped dispel all the Death Eaters, although we don't know who was directly involved in the attack. Arthur thinks there might have been about ten of them there, but he's not sure._

_As I stated previously, everyone is safe now. All eight of them are recuperating in St. Mungo's at the moment, guarded by an Order member of course. The mediwitches and wizards haven't found any fatal injuries yet, although there are some badly broken bones. No magical aftereffects except that Ginny can't remember anything that happened the yesterday or last night. The mediwitches are working on that and suspect that she should regain her memory of it sometime later today. All lasting hexes and such were remedied immediately upon arrival at St. Mungo's, although the staff there won't heal anything like broken bones with magic, for they think that it might interfere with whatever curses hit the crew and are still wearing off. The healing process will take a little bit longer because of that. Hermione and Ron are only suffering from broken bones: Ron's foot and ankle were crushed rather dramatically, and he won't be walking on it for at least a month. Hermione's suffering a broken arm and twisted femur. Her arm should heal within the next couple of days, although her leg could take a while longer. Ginny, apart from temporary memory loss, is fine. She's fairly bruised and has a broken nose, but out of anyone she got off the best. Molly and Arthur are in a comatose state. We don't know when they'll wake up yet. Tonks has several broken ribs and she punctured a lung. They don't know how well she'll heal from that, although it's not fatal. George has a broken collarbone and a bruised hip bone, although both should heal quickly. Fred suffered the worst of everyone. Like his parents, he is in a state of comatose, although his sternum has been shattered and several ribs with it. There's a lot of internal bleeding, and his skull is cracked. We don't know if he'll wake up any time soon. George isn't taking it too well._

_I'm truly sorry Harry, I know how you must feel. On top of everything, you're going to be relocated to Grimmauld Place. You'll have more protection there with all of us. An escort will arrive at seven pm. sharp, be packed for the rest of the summer. We'll be traveling by broom, and under a number of cloaking and invisibility spells. _

_We're all worried about you Harry, I'll see you at seven. Hang in there,_

_Remus_

Draco drew in a deep breath. Harry wasn't going to take this well at all. He could already hear cries coming from the Gryffindor's room. Malfoy was about to set the letter down when a small note at the bottom of the page caught his eye.

_Potter- Something you should know: the Death Eater's were looking for _you_ when they attacked the Burrow. They've doubled their search effort now; Death Eater attacks have been occurring left and right for two days. I'll see you at seven, have constant vigilance until then. –Alastor Moody_

_How could he?_ Draco thought angrily. It wasn't a secret that Harry took every single injury and death of those who died fighting against Voldemort like it was his fault. And here Moody had practically told the boy that it _was _his fault. Draco dropped the letter and ran his hands through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. The crash of a window shattering in Harry's room decided for him. Malfoy grabbed the doorknob to Harry's room and twisted: it was locked. All thoughts of his decision to distance himself from Harry gone, Draco whipped out his wand, stood back and yelled, "_Bombarta!_"

The door exploded inward, reduced to a pile of splinters. Draco ran inside to see Harry leaning against the window sill, his hands scraped and bleeding from glass shards that lay everywhere. Blood was smeared over his face and Malfoy couldn't tell if it was from a cut or when his hands simply touched his face. With a yell, Harry spun around and slammed his bleeding fist into the wall behind him, sending blood flying. If he didn't stop soon, he could end up seriously hurting himself. As Harry wound up to punch the wall again, Draco screamed, "_Impedimenta!_"

Harry froze in place, his eyes looking around wildly. The blonde haired boy walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes.

"Harry, you are being stupid, ignorant and ridiculous and you're going to hurt yourself. Stop. Punching inanimate objects is a very immature way to vent whatever you're feeling right now. And breaking all the bones in your hand isn't going to do a bloody thing except make it extremely hard to fly later today. Everyone knows it wasn't your fault, and I'm going to give you hell about it until you'll admit it yourself. Now, if I let you move now, will you start hitting things again?" Malfoy paused a bit, looking into Harry's eyes, "I didn't think so." Draco whispered an incantation and Harry's outstretched arm dropped to his side as he collapsed onto the bed. Malfoy sat down next to him and stared into those haunted, emerald eyes.

"Now, I'm going to help you pack for the rest of the summer after we fix your hands. Yes, you _are _going to Grimmauld Place, and you're not going to argue with me. I'll hex you into oblivion. You are going to be ready to go by the time your escort arrives." Harry moaned. "Deal with it Potter," Draco snapped, rising to his feet. Harry, who didn't dare argue with that tone of voice, did what was expected of him and followed when Draco left the room.

"Sit," Draco commanded, pointing to one of the kitchen chairs as he raided the medical cabinet with the other hand. Finding what he wanted, with lots of help from the precise labels on the jars, the Slytherin set everything out on the table and sat down near Harry. Gently, he took one of Harry's bloody hands and set it in his lap as he called a damp rag to him from the sink. With careful strokes, Draco began running the cloth over the small nicks and cuts while cleaning the blood off as well. Every so often he would stop to pull out a shard of glass with a pair of tweezers. Harry remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, a blank mask hiding what he was really feeling.

Forty-five minutes later Draco had cleaned and bandaged both of Harry's hands, taking care to find every sliver of glass and place it in a small bowl which was almost full now. With long strides, he walked to the sink and rinsed out the cloth, then he returned and dragged his chair closer to the Gryffindor in order to wipe the blood off Harry's face. To his relief, the blood smeared over Potter's forehead and nose was indeed from his hands and not caused by any glass cuts. Draco took Harry's glasses off and quickly washed the blood from the black-haired boy's face. Harry closed his eyes and sighed when Draco was done, sliding the glasses back onto his face and staring at his bandaged hands. He was going to Grimmauld Place, the Weasley's were in St. Mungo's, and Moody had said Voldemort was looking for him at the Burrow. His mind was spinning way to fast for him to have any control at all. It was his fault; the Weasleys had been hurt because of him. Because they were his friends. It was his fault…Suddenly he remembered: _the dream_._ Last night…screaming faces…Death Eaters…I _**saw**_ the Weasley's being attacked…_

Harry's head snapped up when Draco grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him, calling, "Harry! Harry!"

"What?" He asked grimly.

"Come on, let's get your things packed up," Draco said, pulling Harry to his feet. After a slight pause, he dragged Potter into a fierce hug and raked his hands through that thick black hair. "It'll work out. I don't know if it'll be ok, but everything will fit together eventually." _Soon, I hope_. Harry just looked at the floor and pulled away from Draco, walking towards his bedroom dejected. Draco found him throwing clothes submissively into a suitcase when he followed. Immediately, Malfoy waved his wand nonchalantly and the contents of Harry's dresser and bookshelf flew into the bag, neatly shrunken and in perfect order. Harry looked up.

"You're going to get in trouble for doing magic."

"I don't think so. It's been almost an hour since I smashed your door down and we haven't had any owls show up yet. The ministry is too scared to send a _Malfoy_ a letter about 'underage wizards using magic outside of an instructional interest'," Draco said the words rolling off his tongue with a touch of it's usual arrogance. Harry smiled a bit, although his eyes didn't show it. Malfoy sighed a bit and laid a hand on Potter's arm. Harry looked away.

"You scared the hell out of me, Harry. Did you know that?" Draco asked softly and the Gryffindor looked back up sharply.

"No."

"You do now. Look, I'm sorry I read your letter from Lupin. But, _god_ Harry, your face…I thought you were going to go kill yourself!" Malfoy said emphatically, looking at Harry with genuine concern.

"Did you really have to blow the door down though?" Harry said with a slight laugh.

"Yes, I did. I could hardly think straight; I just wanted to get to you so you didn't hurt yourself too badly." Harry looked down a bit shamefully.

"Thank you, Draco."

"For what?"

"For caring. It means a lot, especially now that everyone else who cares is either dead or in the hospital. Or tearing me out of my home and dumping me in my godfather's house." In a flash, Harry's content mood vanished, replaced with a depressing expression on his face.

"Hey, you'll be at Grimmauld Place. At least it's out of this _hole._"

"I'd take this over Grimmauld any day. Trust me. I'm going to have twenty Order members fawning over me, asking me if I'm okay, seeing if I need anything…stuff like that. And then the Weasleys, Hermione and Tonks are in…in St. Mungo's; and…and I'm just really worried about them. Remus didn't say much really, just gave me a brief overview. He left a lot out; he's like that. Wants to make sure I'm not alone when he breaks the terrible news to me that Fred's going to die, and Molly and Arthur are never going to wake up, and that Ginny lost all of her memory and will be living in St. Mungo's for the rest of her l…life…" Harry bit his lip, knowing tears would come soon. He was sick of crying. He didn't want to shed another tear for as long as he lived. Suddenly, Harry looked up at Malfoy, "You're coming, right? To Grimmauld Place?" He asked.

"No. As far as they know, I'm still a Death Eater. I don't think they're going to be quite as accepting as you. I mean, that night I came to your door, I didn't really think you would let me in. I thought you'd just kill me right then and there. Or maybe that's what I wanted you to do. I don't know. Anyway, I can't come with you. I'm _Draco Malfoy_ to them. The boy who tried to kill Dumbledore," Draco persisted.

"You'll _always_ be Draco Malfoy. Maybe not by name and title, but it's still going to be _you_," Harry commented, staring at the ceiling to hide the tears that hadn't drained from his eyes.

"I'm not the Draco Malfoy I used to be, that's for sure." Draco sighed and twirled a strand of silver blonde between his index and ring finger.

"It doesn't really matter. Please come with me?" The Gryffindor said, a pleading look on his face.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"For starters, you don't have anywhere else to go. And…you won't fawn over me." Harry flashed him a brilliant smile that crept into his eyes as well. Draco could have sworn his heart stopped.

"Stop smiling like that Harry. It's a bit…scary. And no, I won't be caught fawning over you dead. I don't fawn. Period. But I can't come with you. There are too many politics involved. They'd want me for questioning; I'd have to tell them about…about…what happened. I don't want to re-live that again. I'd have to tell them everything, and I can't do that. I _won't_ do it. Voldemort would find out about it, everyone would be in danger because of me…"

"Really Malfoy, that's just stupid. Voldemort can't find Grimmauld Place; it's sort of complicated. There are a lot of different spells hiding it. Snape knew about it, but everything was changed. I'm pretty sure they even re-located the whole house. You'd be safe from Voldemort and the others there."

"Uh huh…and I'd be at the mercy of all the Order members who are just itching to paint the walls with my brains," Draco said wryly with a smirk on his face. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Back to the thing about everyone being in danger because of you…Well, I'm going to be there too. Just in case you forgot, Voldemort's followers practically murdered my friend's family because he thought I was staying with them. Everyone who _knows_ me, has any contact with me at all, is in danger. Just _come_ Draco, everything will work out, remember?" Harry reminded him; and Draco took a deep breath while lying down on the bed.

"So, if I come with you, how are we going to work the travel situation out?" Harry grinned wickedly, apparently sufficiently cheered up for now.

"Easy."

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone; feedback and comments would be great!

The Wykkyd

**Navy RavenLacra**: Thank you so much! I did cram quite a bit into chapter eight, and I was hoping to throw a couple of twists in there. Glad you liked it!

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Thanks for the comment! Everyone's reaction will be…well, part expected, part unexpected.

**Fire x Ice**: I know, I did a number on Fred. But…I can't tell you if he'll get better or not at this point. There's a follow-up in a later chapter though.

**DRACOxISxMYxBITCH**: Thanks for the comment, hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**Serpent91**: Thank you so much. Of course there's more!

**Black Sorceress**: Thank you. It's always so great to hear that people like how a story is written, as well as the story itself. Thanks for commenting.

**zuko'sfirebendingirl**: Thank you, hope this is soon enough!

**SpeechlessQuestion**: You're on the right track there. Can't tell you if everyone's going to be okay at the moment, but none of them die.

**AnnF**: You have a point on the 'Harry Birthday' topic. He should be 17, and I will say that he will be soon. Also, did I mention that Hermione and Ron were still 16 somewhere in there? I don't remember if I did or not. On the Olivander issue, this is post HBP, so I was simply going to assume that Olivander has been located. It's a bit vague, I know, but I did want to stick Olivander in there. As for your comment on answering reviews: I really don't see the problem with it; it's not against the rules. And I don't really follow your reasoning when it comes to giving 'slash-haters' the excuse to…what exactly? If they flame my story, I simply won't reply to their comments. Simple as that.

**gbheart**: Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy my story so far!

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla:** Thanks for the comment. I don't really want to portray Moody as such a git, but I knew that him especially would not react well to the Malfoy and Harry housing arrangment, ;). Don't worry 'bout the romantic relationship...instances will ensue!

**Noroi-Inu: **I know what you mean, happens to me all the time when I'm reading other stories. :D. Thank you so much for your other praise! I'm really flattered. I enjoy working with a simple plot because you can always make it more complex, although it's hard to make a complex plot simpler. I've said this before to numerous reviewers, but I try really hard to keep the characters IC. It makes a story beliveable IMO. Thanks again!

**Fate Weaver 42**: Thank you, thank you. I'm glad people still thing that the characters and plot are believeable; I've worked hard at making it so. You're quite welcome for writing the story, it's my pleasure. And don't worry, I don't have any more 'cliffies' for you guys for a while...!

**Crystal Malfoy**: Why, they can't just leave eachother now! Anyway, thanks for commenting, and I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. I really enjoy writing a sweet!Harry. :)

**A/N**: Yes, another note from me. I just thought that I'd mention in this chapter that I won't be able to update for a couple weeks. I'm going on vacation and won't have computer access. I'm really sorry! I'll get the next several chapters to you when I'm back. Thanks for your patience!


	9. The Escort

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 8), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

Chapter 9 of **Catalyst**- The Escort

* * *

Harry wiped his face of any sadness that lay in his features, replacing it with a happy and excited mask. He opened the door.

"Hi Remus, Moody, er…everyone else," He greeted. The escort filed into the small living room and spread out a bit. Obviously they wanted to talk before leaving. Harry glanced towards the door that led to his room; it was open just a crack: Draco was listening beneath the invisibility cloak.

"This is how the procedure is going to go, Potter: we'll all be flying under several advanced cloaking and invisibility spells, so there's no chance any spying muggle or wizard alike can spot us. You'll be in the center, with our members flanking you on all sides," Moody stated sharply.

"I don't really think all that is necessary…" Harry began, but he was cut off abruptly.

"Oh yes it is, Harry. Death Eater attacks have tripled as of two days ago; yes, this is quite necessary. Don't argue," Remus added firmly, not about to let Harry worm his way out of being protected.

"Lupin's right, Voldemort sent his followers to the Burrow because he thought you were there. When the Death Eaters didn't find you…well, you've heard what happened to your friends. It can't hurt to be too careful anymore Harry, you of all people should know this; more than one person has died in this war fighting for your life, or for your cause. Don't throw all those lives away by being careless," Moody continued, oblivious of Harry, who had turned a shade of white and was clenching his hands together behind his back. Draco was furious. _How could he? Does he not _see_ that Harry doesn't want to hear this? Can he not _understand_ that Harry _knows_ he has to be cautious now?_ _Does he not see how Harry is about to break down right now?_ Malfoy fumed, balling his hands into angry fists. Moody continued, "Constant vigilance Harry, you've heard it before, but it never hurts to hear it again. Unlike Diggory and Black, you need to be alert to your surroundings, and…" Draco had had enough. He could see Harry starting to breathe faster, obviously remembering those terrible moments when he had witnessed the deaths of his godfather and friend.

Throwing Harry's plan aside, Draco rushed into the living room, the hood of the invisibility cloak falling off in the process.

Remus stared in shock as the door behind Harry opened up without any apparent reason, and as Harry seemed to be pulled back a few steps, tripping over something slightly. Suddenly, a head appeared out of nowhere: Draco Malfoy's. The boy was as pale as always, if possible even more so, and his hair still held the same sheen. But his eyes were a bit brighter, and they weren't cold or cruel. His left eye was bruised a bit, as if it was recovering from a black eye. The werewolf prepared to throw an attack, but he saw the look of relief on Harry's face as Malfoy whispered something in his ear. Lupin glanced over at Moody who had his want pointed directly at Malfoy's head. The rest of the invisibility cloak was blasted away from Draco, revealing those slender, pale arms wrapped protectively around Harry. The Death Eater's son looked livid.

"What in _hell_ are you doing Moody? Harry doesn't need to hear this again; can't you see he's not in the condition to be repeatedly told that it was his fault Black and Diggory are dead?" Draco screamed at Moody, still holding Harry tightly.

"Draco, what are you doing?" The black-haired teen whispered urgently.

"Telling that _bastard_ what not to do; what's it look like?" Draco whispered back, his eyes still sparking.

"Don't, it'll only make things worse…"

"I don't care. Don't listen to him Harry; don't listen to any of that. And Moody, don't worry," Draco replied, not once taking his eyes off the auror, or the wand that was a foot in front of his face. "I'm not going to hurt him, you can put your wand down." Moody's eye narrowed and the wand didn't move and inch. "_Now,_" Draco commanded.

"Well, if it isn't Malfoy Junior. What are you going to do? Tell me that if I hex you, it'll hit Potter as well?" Moody sneered, ignoring Draco's order.

"I am _not_ going to hurt him, unlike _you,_" Draco spat, his voice dripping venom. Alastor moved the wand closer and Draco's arms tightened around Harry.

"I have no problem killing you right now, _Malfoy_. Let Potter go, and I might give you a couple years off your sentence in Azkaban, where you belong. _Move_, before Harry has to witness yet _another_ killing." Harry inhaled sharply at the thought of Moody murdering the boy who was holding him so protectively.

"No, Moody. Don't kill him. It's fine, he won't hurt me," Harry protested, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice.

"Never trust a Malfoy, Potter. They're all _scum_; the only thing they're worth for is decorating Azkaban," Moody snapped, " Malfoy, I'll give you one more chance. You're standing in a room full of powerful wizards, there's no chance of escape. Move _now_!"

Remus caught the look in Alastor Moody's eyes just in time. Launching himself at his fellow Order member, he brought the two of them crashing to the ground. Moody's '_stupify_' whizzed into a wall and disappeared. Harry had turned around and pushed Draco down on the floor, protecting him from the red burst of magic, yet almost immediately another escort member had forced his wand into Malfoy's face.

"It's over Malfoy. Don't hide behind Harry. _Petrificus Totalus!_" The spell hit Draco right in the forehead and the Slytherin was rendered immobile. Instantly, Moody and some of the others surrounded Harry; several of them helping the Golden Boy up, and some combining efforts to levitate Draco. After thirty seconds of frenzied confusion, Harry shook all the supporting hands off of him roughly.

"STOP!" He roared: the room froze. "Let him go. _NOW!_" Draco Malfoy was lowered to the ground with no forgiveness, his frozen head smacking the floorboards sharply. Mad Eye looked at Harry quizzically as the boy ran over to Draco, whipped out his wand, and muttered a counter-curse. Slowly, Malfoy twitched a bit, the effects of a powerful '_Petrificus Totalus_' still underway. Harry looked at the others angrily, "Don't touch him. If anyone shoves a wand in his face again tonight, I will hex them into a million pieces."

"Harry…" Remus started.

"He wasn't _threatening_ me! At least _he_ knows how I feel about Sirius' and Cedric's deaths. At least he _understands_ that I don't like it rubbed in my face that it was _my fault._ I already know!" Harry said, cutting Remus' sentence in half. Everyone in the room stood shocked.

"This is _Malfoy_, Potter! What are you thinking?" Moody growled. Harry glared at the auror.

"I _know_ who I'm talking about, Moody. Yes, this is Malfoy, and you _are. Not. Going. To. Touch. Him_," The Gryffindor spat, inches away from the auror's face. Remus, ever the peacemaker, walked up to the pair and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Listen to him, Alastor." Remus turned towards Harry, who was looking at him with pleading eyes, "Harry, we won't touch Draco—"

"…With our _hands_," Moody grumbled, obviously thinking that cursing someone wasn't physical contact. Remus glared at him and continued.

"We won't touch, _or_ spell Malfoy. But if he tries anything, _anything_, he'll be in Azkaban before he knows it. Is that clear, Draco?" The werewolf finished, looking down at Draco who was still lying on the floor. The Slytherin nodded slowly and Harry knelt down beside him once again.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not feeling very…energetic, and my head hurts, but other than that I'm fine. That man wields a wicked binding hex" Draco said with a weak smile, pushing himself off the floor with Harry's help. The Slytherin shot a withering glare at the man who had hexed him and straightened his robes self-importantly. Moody cleared his throat.

"So, Potter, what do you propose we do with _him_?" He spat, waving his gnarled hand in Draco's direction.

"He's coming with me," Harry said simply, staring the older man down as if daring him to say something. The room remained in tense silence until Remus spoke up.

"Well, I'm sure one of us can ride double with Malfoy—"

"Draco will be riding with me," The green-eyed boy informed everyone coldly. The werewolf masked his surprise with a small smile and a grim nod.

"Then it's settled. If you could just show us your bags, we'll be off. The sooner we get there, the better." Murmurs of agreement could be heard around the room and Harry went into the bedroom to get his things; Draco followed him and grabbed Harry's elbow just inside the room.

"I don't know if I should come with you anymore, Harry," Malfoy stated.

"I wasn't kidding when I said if anyone touched you I would hex them into pieces. I will. Without hesitation," Harry snapped, his words coming out a bit harsher than he intended.

"Are you angry?"

"Of course I am! I'm furious! How dare they waltz into _my_ home and start hexing guests of mine! You weren't even _doing_ anything," Potter protested hotly.

"Well, I was…er…embracing you. That's something."

"But it's not exactly life threatening," Harry quipped, "Moody could have _hurt_ you!"

"Look Harry, you can't change the fact that none of them trust me. I don't exactly have the reputation they're looking for. It's fine, I'll deal with it. I'll come with you, be a good little boy, and hope to survive the summer." Malfoy smirked, "Get your bags." Harry sighed and picked up his suitcase, dragging it out of the room with Draco right behind him. All the hushed chattering among the escort members stopped when the two boys came in and Harry cleared his throat. Remus smiled warmly and shrunk both suitcases, setting them in a small box that would be attached to his broom.

"After you two…" He said, ushering the two students out of the door. Someone held out Harry's invisibility cloak to the boy, and he jerked it out of their hands with a snap. Moody handed him his Firebolt.

"Never trust a Malfoy, Harry. You'd do well to remember that," The auror said gruffly, striding over to his own broom and mounting rather clumsily. Harry had opened his mouth to retort when someone kicked him.

"What was—?"

"Don't waste your breath, Potter, it won't do anything," Draco said with a wry smile. Harry rolled his eyes dramatically and climbed onto his broom with the gracefulness of a cat. Malfoy followed suit and wrapped his willowy fingers around the wooden handle, right behind Harry's tailbone.

"Ready when you are, Harry," Remus called.

"Let's just go," Potter snapped, rising quickly into the air. As soon as the troupe set off Harry felt his bad mood disappear, replaced by elation. He had been forbidden to fly while residing in the muggle neighborhood for security reasons, so he hadn't ridden a broom in about a month. Flying had always made him feel free. He wasn't pinned down on the Earth; he could soar with the birds and dip through clouds. It was as if he could simply leave all his problems behind him. Sometimes, he wished he didn't have to go back.

A voice in his ear brought Harry out of his reverie.

"Could these old ladies fly any _faster_?" Draco asked scornfully, leaning over Harry's shoulder slightly to talk to him. Malfoy caught the blissful look on Harry's face before the Gryffindor answered him.

"Let's see," He replied with a small smile that could have passed as a smirk. Harry leaned forward, skillfully increasing his speedy just a bit: the escort followed suit. Draco smiled a bit and leaned back into his original position.

After a half hour of flying that rain came. Within minutes it had soaked the group through and everyone was left with chattering teeth and drops of frigid water careening into their face. Harry couldn't see through his glasses, and it would be dangerous to try and reach his wand, which was tucked in his back pocket.

"Draco? Can you hand me my w…wand?" He asked around numb lips that wouldn't form words efficiently.

"Just keep your hands on the broom," Draco ordered, taking his own wand out and pressing it against Harry's lenses. He whispered a charm and the water began to run freely off the glasses. Harry nodded his thanks and continued flying. Malfoy had since given up on the 'no magic' rule; what was the Ministry going to do about it?

Draco, assuming that their trip was not near over, let himself lapse into thinking how miserable this was. A storm was picking up now, wind tossing the rain every which way imaginable, and thunder was rolling in the distance. He wondered how Moody would even be able to find Grimmuald Place in this weather.

Draco had to admit to himself that he was curious about the house. He had heard Bellatrix mention it several times, and knew of her affiliation with it. But that had been before the Order had formed and taken the place as headquarters. What would the old house be like anyway? While he wouldn't mind it if the place was large, clean, and fitted with comfortable furniture (actually, he would prefer it), all he really wanted right now was someplace warm and dry. A change of clothes wouldn't be bad either, or a mug of coffee, or a hot shower, or a….

After almost two hours of flying through a vicious storm, the escort began to descend downward. Harry followed, careful not to fly into any of the surrounding men and women that flanked him. Draco smiled a bit with blue lips; finally, they were at their destination. As soon as Harry could see through the rain he glanced around at the scenery. From what he could tell, the surrounding landscape was not a neighborhood like the last time he visited. Instead, Grimmauld Place resided in the middle of a thick forest, which Harry couldn't see much of because it was dark. He did see a choppy lake though; tall waves smashed into the shoreline and the lily pads were sloshed about violently. Yes, Grimmauld Place had definitely been relocated. But then they rounded the corner of the house, landing on the porch, and Harry didn't get to see anything else. He did notice that Draco had also been looking around at the house itself; _Hmm…I'll bet they removed the secret keeper spell now that they've relocated the place and added extra magical barriers…_

Stiffly, the group dismounted their brooms, tripping over their soaked and heavy robes and shuffling to put their brooms away into a storage closet that Moody had unlocked. Remus handed Harry and Draco their suitcases, now normal size, and proceeded to unlock the door with a series of passwords and charms. Presently the door swung open and the troupe shuffled inside, taking off their robes and dispelling the water from them with a charm. Moody dried Harry off, and with a _very_ pointed look from the Gryffindor student, did the same for Malfoy, who put on an indignant face.

"Harry, welcome home. There are a couple things you should know. First, the Ministry has decided that while you are here at Grimmauld, you should return to the status of a normal student. Meaning that you can't do any magic now, without getting in trouble. You know how that goes," Remus flashed him an amused smile, which Harry couldn't help but return, "Of course, you'll be seventeen very soon, and then you can legally use magic… blah blah blah. You know all that. Second thing you should know is that you will be alone in the house for quite a bit of the time, aside from Malfoy. There are a number of defenses that this place is equipped with of course, so you will be quite safe. All of us," Remus waved to the aurors and Order members behind him, "Will stop by on occasion to see how you are through the floor network. If anything comes up, you may use send a message through the network of course."

"Just how many fireplaces are connected to this one?" Draco asked sharply, sounding much like he normally did back at Hogwarts.

"Only the necessary ones, Malfoy," Moody growled in answer, giving the Slytherin a prejudiced glare which Draco returned.

"That's correct, you have nothing to worry about there," Remus cut in quickly, trying to avoid further conflict, "Anything else you'd like to know Harry? Oh, the refrigerator is charmed to replenish itself, and Kreacher is here somewhere, just so you know." Harry groaned.

"He's back here for the summer then?" He asked, knowing the answer all-to-well. A clattering could be heard from the top of the staircase, announcing the grouchy house elf's presence. Harry forced a smile on his face that looked more like a grimace, "Hello Kreacher."

"Why, Master Potter has come to curse my family's precious house once again. Maybe you'll learn to keep your filthy half-blood hands off their items," Kreacher snapped in a gritty voice.

"Shut up, Kreacher," Harry ordered with a glare. The house elf seemed to choke on this order, trying to spew more insults, but although his mouth moved, no more sounds came out. Draco, who picked all this up with a perplexed face, suddenly turned to Harry.

"You own this place?" He asked. Harry nodded an absentminded 'yes', looking back to Remus.

"Well then, am I sleeping in one of the guest rooms?" The werewolf shook his head.

"No Harry. You're the master of this house; you're sleeping in the master bedroom. "_ Where Sirius slept_, Harry thought.

"No, that's ok. I'll take a guest room," He protested, not wanting to sleep in the room that his godfather had slept in. He didn't want all those memories yet.

"Yes you will Harry. It's fine. I'll move your things up there. Malfoy, you'll be sleeping in the room that Harry normally occupies." Before Remus could offer to show the Slytherin his room, Moody came up and grabbed Draco's elbow.

"_I'll_ show you your room. Come," He demanded, dragging Draco along. Malfoy made a disgusted sound and tore out of the auror's grip, although he proceeded to follow him up the stairs. Harry trailed along behind them, giving Draco an apologetic smile as he turned the opposite direction and shuffled down to Sirius' old room. He found Remus standing in the center simply staring out the window. Thankful for some time alone with his former teacher, he walked up beside him.

"How are you, Moony?" Harry asked. Remus smiled at the use of his nickname.

"I'm doing alright, Harry. I don't think I'm over it yet, I don't know if I ever will be," The werewolf said softly. "What about you?"

"You pretty much summed it up. I can't stop thinking about him; about what could have been, you know? I miss him." Remus wrapped an arm around Harry.

"Tonks got over it pretty well though. Before she ended up in St. Mungo's, she was back to normal. A bit stressed, as we all are, but her hair was a terrible shade of pink, so I'm assuming she was alright." Harry smiled at that thought.

"Well, that makes one of us then."

"Let's not dwell on the past right now. I'm a bit more interested in the present anyway. What brought you and Malfoy together under the same roof?" Remus asked with genuine curiosity. Harry sighed; he knew this would come up.

"To make a long story short, he showed up on my doorstep one night and needed a bit of help. I gave it to him," Harry said, leaving out everything he possibly could.

"Care to elaborate? For safety's sake."

"Draco's been running from the Death Eaters. He got into some trouble over the Dumbledore incident; lost everyone's trust and faith. He's gone through a lot. Lucius disowned him for the shame he inflicted on their family line and put Draco through a month of torture. Eventually they just stripped his Death Eater status—I think that was when he refused any other redeeming assignments—and he got away. He's been staying with me for about a week an a half."

"Without incident?"

"Er—Lucius Malfoy found me one day," Harry mentioned guiltily, Remus was _not_ going to let this slide.

"WHAT? Do you mean to say that you left your apartment? WITH DRACO MALFOY?" Remus shouted, looking more worried than angry. Harry grimaced.

"Er…yeah, sorta. Nothing happened—"

"What do you mean 'nothing happened'? Are you saying that Lucius just waved at you and left?" The werewolf demanded.

"Well, he said some stuff about Voldemort wanting to kill me, but that's not new. Then he was going to call some other Death Eater's in, but I hexed him and went to get Draco," Harry said guiltily.

"And then?" Lupin pressed.

"I grabbed the stuff that we bought, and I took Draco out of there," Harry mentioned, trying to avoid just _how_ he got them out.

"Just where were you? And how did you get out? Did anyone see what you did to Lucius?"

"We were at a mall in muggle London, and yes, people saw what I did to Lucius. But it just looked like I pushed him. I used _'relashio'_."

"You're leaving out how you got out of there, Harry," Remus pointed out.

"Er…" Harry couldn't come up with anything but the truth fast enough, so he spit it out, "Imighthaveapparatedfromthebathroominthemall."

"Didn't catch that, Harry."

"I apparated. With Draco." The student braced himself for Remus' reprimand.

"You can apparate?" Was all the older man asked. Harry nodded.

"I didn't know if I could do it with another person, but I did a bit of studying on that subject over the summer..." Harry rambled.

"As well as healing I'm assuming, because Mr. Malfoy doesn't look like he went through torture recently." Harry nodded 'yes' again, "Well Harry, I'm glad nothing else stemmed from that. But if anything else happens along those lines, contact an Order member _immediately_. You got lucky that time; don't count on it happening again."

"Sure," Harry said, marveling at all the times he got by on raw luck.

"Well then, if that's all settled, I'll go down for a hot cup of coffee. Feel free to join us when you've looked around the room a bit. Malfoy is welcome as well." Remus gave a friendly nod and left the room, heading down to the kitchen where the chattering of voices could be heard.

Harry hauled his suitcase and lifted it onto the huge bed, although he didn't open it to unpack. Instead, he let his eyes drift over the room, taking in every detail. The walls were covered in a rich maroon color—obviously the room had been re-decorated since his last visit—and the floor was some sort of dark wood, full of knots and swirls. Over in one corner was a large dresser and next to it, a closet meant for robes. There was a desk in the room as well; a reading lamp rest upon it, with several books nearby. Harry ran a hand over the soft comforter that lay on the bed. It was gold, with the magnificent emblem of a roaring lion. _Ever the Gryffindor, Sirius was,_ Harry thought with a smile.

Pictures and portraits decorated the walls lavishly; members of the Black family and friends were all there, as well as some of the pictures from Sirius' childhood. Harry drifted over to a particular set of pictures that were taken at Hogwarts, it seemed. There were several pictures of the Marauders: Sirius, James, Remus and Peter. They were laughing hysterically in one picture; James was doubled over and gasping for air, tears of laughter pouring down his face. Peter was flat-out rolling on the ground. _They look so happy,_ Harry thought wistfully, taking the picture down and staring at his father's friends when they were younger.

Setting the picture down on his bed, Harry explored his room a bit more and then left the room to head downstairs.

While Harry was talking to Remus, Draco found himself walked briskly down the hall in the opposite direction of the master bedroom; it seemed as if Moody wanted him as far away from Potter as possible. Presently, the auror dragged the boy into a room, shut the door and slammed Draco into the wall. The Slytherin hissed in pain as his ribs reminded him that they were only just healed, and as the sensitive flesh on his back was ground harshly into his shirt. Moody shoved his mangled face just inches away from Draco's, snarling.

"Malfoy, you're alive right now _only_ through Potter's graces. One step out of line and you'll be in Azkaban before you can blink. Do I make myself clear?" Draco nodded with a sneer, and was slammed into the wall again for the effort. A small cry escaped his lips.

"A bit sore are we?" Moody growled, dropping Draco abruptly so the Slytherin ended up on the floor. "Keep my warning in mind. If you give Potter any trouble you'll have _me_ to answer to. And I'll make sure Harry isn't around at the time." The auror limped out of the room in a swirl of black cloaks, leaving Draco leaning against the wall and moaning softly. Moody could be just as intimidating as Lucius, he realized. Using the wall as a brace, he picked himself off the floor slowly as not to strain his ribs and back. After moving around the room a bit he didn't have trouble breathing anymore and his ribs stopped protesting at the movement.

Draco straightened up and opened the door to his room, finding that his suitcases were parked right outside of his door. Quickly, he pulled them into the room and set them on the bed. Wanting to avoid any further confrontations with Mad Eye Moody, he set about unpacking and looking around his new home for the summer. His room was a fitting dark green, with grey trim around the ceiling and floor. There was a large bed, with a comforter to match the room. The emblem showed a snake entwining in and out of a silver ring.

Draco smiled in satisfaction. The room wasn't large, wasn't elaborately decorated, and didn't even have a private bathroom, but it was _very_ Slytherin. He was expecting something vilely Gryffindor. _This must be Black's brother's old room. Reg...Regul-something,_ Malfoy mused as he started unpacking by hand.

Soon after, weariness overcame the Slytherin boy and he collapsed on his bed, fast asleep. He hadn't even bothered to take his robes off.

Harry waved to the only people left in the kitchen as he accepted a mug of hot chocolate with his other hand. He sat down and sipped his drink a bit uncomfortably. He could feel Moody and Lupin's eyes on him. Finally he set the mug down.

"Er…about earlier. Sorry I exploded. Shouldn't have." He smiled apologetically.

"I don't know what's gotten into you boy, affiliating with Malfoy. If he's trouble—"

"—Moody, drop it. Harry's made it clear that Mr. Malfoy won't be trouble. We'll leave him alone, Harry," Remus said persuasively. Harry nodded and Moody rose out of his seat.

"Well, if you're all settled, then I'll be off. I have important business to take care of." With that, Moody strode into the living room, entered the fireplace and exploded in the midst of green flames. Remus sighed.

"I'm sorry about all that, Harry. But you have to understand the history between Alastor and Lucius Malfoy." Harry looked up from his drink with curiosity.

"History?"

"A few years before you were born, there was a horrific battle between the Ministry and the Death Eaters. Alastor was an auror-in-training then, and happened to be in the building at the time of the attack. He fearlessly joined in the fray, and when the Death Eaters left, Lucius Malfoy had landed a hit on Moody that left a long scar on his left cheek. It's still there. That was Alastor's first scar; he was proud of it because he was a bit cocky at that age, but the rivalry between him and Lucius had started. If there was one Death Eater that Alastor would like to see dead, it would be Lucius. Any way he can get to Malfoy, including murdering his son, he has no hesitation committing."

"But Lucius hates Draco," Harry said vehemently. Remus raised an eyebrow in question. "Well, he _did_ disown him, and Lucius was able to stomach whipping Draco to bits for a month," The student said hotly. Remus just nodded.

"Maybe so, but Alastor doesn't know that. Yet."

"Don't tell him. I don't think Draco even meant to tell me everything, but…er…well…" Harry stopped, not sure how to finish his sentence.

"Is something…_going on_…between you and Mr. Malfoy?" Remus asked with a barely contained look of amusement on his face. Harry jumped up so fast he almost knocked his now-cold hot chocolate over.

"No! Nothing is going on between me and Draco!" He said much too quickly to appear truthful. _Is something going on between me and Draco?_ Harry asked himself, _Er…maybe a little, _tiny_, something._

"Well, whatever helps you _sleep_ at night, Harry," The werewolf said with a twinkle in his eye. Harry blushed furiously as Remus stood up and straightened his robes, still chuckling.

"Ok, I'll drop it, until…" Harry blushed all over again, "Anyway, I have to go Harry, be safe please," Remus asked, moving to the fireplace, "Oh, the left faucet in the bathroom that leads to the second bedroom doesn't work. And, I know you've probably already guessed, but you can't leave the place without a proper escort of at least two Order members. Willing ones at that. No '_imperios'_," He said with a smile. Harry chuckled a bit at the joke and waved goodbye to his old teacher, hoping he could see him again soon, and hopefully avoid conversations about him and Draco in the same bed. Suddenly he remembered the Weasleys.

"Remus! Wait!" Harry called suddenly, running to the fireplace as Lupin spun around. "When can I visit the Weasleys, Hermione and Tonks?"

"Oh, right. Well, some of them aren't really in the condition to talk, but I suppose I could come down tomorrow and pick you up with Alastor. Or maybe I'll just come alone; yes, I believe that'd be best. Would that work for you?" Remus asked with a smile. Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Great, see you then. Will Mr. Malfoy be coming as well?"

"No. I don't think he'd be comfortable there. One more thing…" Harry glanced in the direction of Draco's room before walking closer to Remus and whispering into his ear. Lupin rolled his eyes and smiled while nodding, and waved as the green flames consumed him.

When Harry climbed the stairs and reached the first landing, he walked down towards Draco's room. When no one answered his knock, he opened the door a crack and peeked into the room. Draco was lying on the bed, still dressed, and sleeping soundly. He looked exhausted.

With a small smile Harry drifted over to him and gently took the robes off Draco's slender frame. Respectful of the Slytherin's privacy, Harry left him in his clothes, yet pulled the covers over him and slid a pillow under Malfoy's head. He was amazed that Draco didn't wake up.

"What's going on between us, Draco? It doesn't make sense. Why do I feel the way I do around you? Why can't I ever breathe normally when you're near me? Why can I not say anything to you about it?" Harry whispered to the sleeping figure in the bed, as he brushed a strand of hair off the pale forehead. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Harry smiled slowly; he'd have to get up early in the morning.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to comment!

The Wykkyd

* * *

Hey, you guys beat your review record! Thanks so much!

**Catstaff**: Yeah, Moody was a bit…gruff in Chapter nine. I did think it went well with the story though. Don't worry, Moody will get nicer! Thanks for the comment!

**mi me-chan**: Thanks for the little note.

**Souless-tears**: Don't worry about it, as long as you like your name, I don't mind! Thanks for the cookie, and the comment of course!

**unforgivable curse caster**: Ok, ok! Here you go! And I'm glad you liked Moody's reaction, although it was a bit cruel, I liked it too. ;)

**fifespice**: Yes, Tonks was staying at the Burrow at the time of the attack. I probably shouldn't tell you guys this, but yes, everyone who was injured in the Death Eater attack will be ok, eventually. Don't worry about them! Thanks for the comment, fifespice.

**Serpent91**: Thank you very much, always good to hear that!

**BloodSweetLulaby**: Thank you. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything terrible to Moody. Hope you don't mind too much. He won't be so cruel in later chapters. Thanks!

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**TearCat**: Yeah, I loved writing the teasing!Remus. Fun, fun, fun! Like I said before, the Weasley's and Tonks will be ok. Thanks for commenting!

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Wow, Moody doesn't have much of a fan-base here…;). I did make him rather mean though. Thanks for the comment, always love to hear your thoughts!

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c**razysquirl**: Here's the next chapter for you then…thanks for commenting on Chapter nine.

**Hyper Hippie**: Well, chapter ten is the beginning of Harry and Draco's more official relationship. Thanks for everyone's patience with the whole Harry/Draco relationship, which hasn't exactly been moving along at record pace. Thanks!

A lot of new people commented this time; excellent! Keep it up!


	10. The Beginning

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 9), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

Chapter 10 of **Catalyst**- The Beginning

-------------------------

Draco woke up around eleven the next morning, his ribs still a bit sore from their rough treatment yesterday. With a groan he rolled over and stared up at the ceiling for a minute, before wondering why he was in bed with all his clothes on, except for his robes which were folded and put on the desk in the corner. _Interesting, I distinctly remember falling asleep with my robe on last night, on top of the bed. How…? Potter. Harry. Whatever._ With another groan, Malfoy rolled out of bed, and changed his outfit a bit stiffly. After brushing his hair to a shine and making sure no strands were randomly sticking up, the Slytherin walked gracefully down the hall, and stopped, staring in shock.

The living room had been completely redecorated since last night, with gold and silver streamers hanging from the ceiling and enchanted paper cranes flying about. Harry was nestled into one of the large chairs reading, although he looked up with a smile when he heard Malfoy coming down the stairs.

"What did you do to this place?" Draco asked bluntly, as he could think of nothing else to say. Harry simply shrugged.

"I figured I'd do something for your birthday, considering you'll be helping me clean this place because you can do magic now," The Gryffindor said with a smirk.

"I was thinking that my first act as a 'wizard of age' should be to hex you through the roof, actually. Who said anything about cleaning?" Draco retorted good-naturedly.

"I have breakfast ready in the kitchen, let's go eat," Harry said, standing up and laying the book down on the small coffee table. Draco followed him into the kitchen and found the table set with a pile of crepes and several other breakfast dishes. As he was eating, he noticed that Harry was in fact a very good cook.

"You don't have to help me with dishes, it's your birthday," Harry said, rinsing the plates and pans he used for breakfast in the soapy water. Draco shrugged and started drying them anyway, floating stacks of clean dishes to their proper places. Harry looked over as Draco was playing with several of them, spinning the plates rapidly in the air. "If you break one of those…" The Gryffindor said in warning. Draco let the plates drop a couple of feet before catching them again.

"….You'll what?" Malfoy taunted, finally floating the plates back into their cupboard. Harry was trying very hard not to splash a large amount of water in Draco's face. "Whatever, I'm going to go take a shower. Then I guess we'll have to figure out something to do around here."

"Er…Draco? Remus said he'd stop by and take me over to St. Mungo's, you know, to see my friends. You don't mind, do you?" Harry said, looking up into Draco's silver eyes.

"As long as Mad-Eye's not here to baby-sit me," Draco joked, turning around and exiting the kitchen. Harry heard him float the small table back into its original place before heading upstairs to the shower. Draco's comment made him wonder if Draco knew about Moody's and Lucius' rivalry. Or maybe Moody _had_ said something to him last night…Harry sighed. Moody probably wouldn't have been too kind in the event of warning Draco. _Maybe he'd shove off if I just told him why Draco's here with me,_ Harry thought, although he wasn't able to convince himself of it.

Draco entered his room and saw a large package placed neatly on his bed. _Harry shouldn't have,_ Malfoy thought as he methodically un-wrapped his present, disposing of the wrapping paper in a near-by waste basket. Now unwrapped on his bed stood a gleaming cauldron and stand with yet another package tucked inside it. Malfoy picked it up, un-wrapped it and a plethora of items spilled onto the bed. There were three empty glass vials with corks in their openings, three small jars with blank labels on their lids, and fifteen jars with labeled ingredients in them. There were two silver stirring sticks, as well as a wooden one, and a small case to store the vials and jars. It was everything he needed for potion-making.

To Draco's dismay and embarrassment, he felt his eyes begin to sting as they welled up with salty water. He hadn't received such a heartfelt and thought-out gift in years. Draco's hands drifted over the smooth curves of the cauldron and finally came to rest on the rim. Several minutes later, Harry knocked lightly and entered the room to find Draco in exactly the same position.

"So, what do you think?" The Gryffindor ventured, a bit concerned when Draco didn't turn around. Suddenly, the Slytherin walked toward Harry and threw his arms around the black-haired boy's neck, resting his forehead on Harry's slender collar bone. Harry, a bit shocked but not minding the position, wrapped his arms around Draco's slim waist and gingerly traced circles on his back.

"I love it," Malfoy whispered, his voice a bit muffled by Harry's neck.

"Well, I thought it would give you something to do over the summer," The Gryffindor reasoned. Draco nodded and looked up at Harry, a different look in his eye that prepared the Gryffindor for a change of subject.

"That day when we kissed? I still think about it. I don't know why, but I just do. I think…I think I want that back," The Slytherin confessed, his cheeks turning the palest shade of pink in an almost non-existent blush. Harry's breath stopped. Draco—Draco Malfoy wanted 'that back'; wanted _him_. _I don't believe it. I _can not_ believe it…_

"W—Why?" Harry stammered while inhaling deeply to get his blood flow circulating again. _He kissed me…what? A week ago? And he wants that back…_ Harry was stalling. He didn't know what to say in reply to Draco's statement. He wasn't even sure he wanted that sort of affiliation with the Slytherin, not yet anyway. But a part of him wanted a relationship with him now; a part of him was ready for it. _This is _DRACO MALFOY_! I want _Malfoy_! This is not how it was supposed to be! I can't love someone like that now, not while Voldemort's still a threat—_

"I don't know why Harry. I just want this. I can't figure it out, but I don't know if understanding it is that important right now," Draco reasoned thoughtfully.

"I think we _do_ need to understand it. I think we need to know what we're getting ourselves into. You need to know the danger you'll be in. I mean really _understand_ it, not just think you understand it. It's a real threat."

"I _do_ understand the danger of us being together. I'm willing to take a chance. This feels _right_ to me, Harry. Not the way it felt when I was with Pansy, or anyone else," Malfoy said vehemently. Harry sighed.

"How do you know it's so right?" Harry asked, then quickly added, "Not to say it feels wrong to me; it feels different though. I wasn't quite so…_confused_ with Cho or Ginny." Draco laughed at this comment.

"For one, they're both _girls_. That's a rather large difference. And I know it's right because…because I'm not in control around you," The Slytherin said, looking down at the floor. Harry gave him a confused stare, and Draco elaborated. "My whole life, up until last month, has been controlled by me. My father had a lot to do with what I temporarily became, but, in reality, I was still in control of my emotions. Around _everyone_, I was in control. I had my mask firmly in place, no one, _no one_, has seen me without it. Except you. When I broke down in your arms last week, _that_ was when I knew I had lost complete control. I couldn't keep that shell around myself when I was with you, it simply crashed to the floor. It exposed me. Frightened me a bit, I'll admit that. I kissed you out of spontaneity. Malfoys are not spontaneous. They plan everything, they have control of every situation; they manipulate people into believing that they have meaning when they don't. I never let anyone get truly close to me at Hogwarts; I never had any real friends who knew my secrets, or fears. I was an unemotional chunk of ice. I put up walls and shields so people couldn't get to the real me. And every single barrier I had put up against the world over the last six years fell when you came after me on the street, held me, consoled me, dragged me back to your apartment. When I found that I had no control over the situation; that was when I knew there was something between us that I didn't want to ignore."

There was a long silence, with Draco wrapped up in Harry's arms and his head resting on the Gryffindor's shoulder.

"That was the sappiest thing I've ever said in my life. If it wasn't all true, I would say it's pathetic. I think I've completely lost it," Draco finally whispered.

"No, I think you've lost the precious 'Malfoy control' that has ruled your life until now," Harry whispered, holding Draco for a moment longer before dropping his arms to his sides. The blonde boy looked at him.

"Just think about what I said, alright? You don't have to give me an answer now, but promise me that you'll think about it," The Slytherin asked with a hopeful look on his face. Harry gave him a bright smile and nodded.

"I promise, Draco. Now, I believe you came up here in the first place to take a shower. I'll leave you to that." With another smile, Harry left the room to leave Draco staring at the door long after it was shut and he heard Harry's footsteps retreating down the hall. _I just spilled my thoughts right into Harry's lap for the hundredth time since staying with him. I really should try to get _some_ control back,_ he thought with a wry smile as he gathered some clean muggle clothes and went to take a shower.

Harry shut the door to his room and leaned against it. Now, more than ever, he wished Sirius was here so he could talk to him. The Gryffindor sighed and went to lie down on the bed. _Yes, I want to be with Malfoy—Draco. Yes, I want to risk it. But do I want to risk him? Having yet another life to worry about? _

_You can't keep up these barriers to keep people away from you, Harry. Some people need to be let in._ Harry groaned and rolled over; the little voice was back.

_I don't have any barriers up! There are lots of people and friends that are in my life, _Harry argued with himself.

_You have barriers. You've always had them. You helped Draco shatter his, maybe he can help you bring down yours. It's a small sacrifice really._

_I don't want him to be hurt again._

_Take a risk Harry; he's taken one with you, one that he could have easily avoided. Return the favor, it's only fair. _

_Fine! I know that I want this anyway, I might as well give in, _Harry thought, his conscience finally persuading him. _I'm just confused. I thought I liked Cho, but she wasn't ready for a relationship after Cedric. I thought I liked Ginny, no, I _did_ like her, but she wasn't quite what I needed. She could never relate to me. Draco can, yet I didn't just tell him 'yes! I want to be with you!' Why? _

_You're just not sure about this because it's Draco Malfoy you want to be with. Don't be stupid; get over any old rivalry shit you had between you and accept this, Harry. You can't just ignore your feelings. It doesn't matter how hard you try. _

"Oh shut up already. I've made my decision. Don't confuse me anymore. I'll tell him tomorrow," Harry said to the ceiling, still wishing Sirius was here. _Talking to him is a hell of a lot easier than talking to myself. He's less confusing too._

Lunch went without much eventfulness. No talk of their previous conversation that morning took place, and, when the two did talk, it was light and casual.

"Last night Lupin mentioned that you used to sleep in the room I inhabit now. It's a bit…Slytherin… for you, I noticed. Why didn't you sleep in one of the other rooms?" Draco asked while setting down his apple and picking up his sandwich.

"It's the nicest guest room there is for one person. I only stayed in that room when I wasn't here with Ron, Hermione and the others anyway, which wasn't all that often. When Sirius was alive he occupied his room, and I took a room with Ron and sometimes the twins in the room next to yours. And after Sirius…died, I flatly refused to go into the master bedroom. I sort of avoided it and normally slept up in the attic, or in one of the rooms in the west wing," Harry answered with a shrug. Draco nodded his satisfaction with Harry's answer. "If you want, you can explore the place while I'm gone today. The house is actually a lot bigger than it looks, with the North, South, East and West wings on the second floor, the living room, dining room, kitchen and such on the first floor, and the attic. Just be careful up in the attic, there's some…odd creatures up there sometimes. You might come across Kreacher too."

"The house elf?" Draco confirmed.

"Yeah. He hates me and just about everyone who's in this house anymore. Didn't even like Sirius. I don't think he'll have a problem with you though, being a Malfoy, as far as he knows."

"Great, another creature worshiping me because of my old name," Draco said sarcastically with a touch of bitterness.

"Don't tell him that you're technically not a Malfoy anymore; it might come in handy having someone in this house who the elf will obey willingly," Harry said with a light laugh and Draco had to smile at the Gryffindor's obvious dislike towards the creature. "But anyway, feel free to explore the place, create all sorts of vile potions, and just hang out 'till I'm back. I don't know how long I'll be there, but Remus said he'd arrange to let me stay with them longer than visiting hours if I want to. He should be here any minute now," Harry said, glancing up at the grandfather clock.

"Fine with me. I'm alright with 'hanging out' while you're visiting them," Draco said with a small laugh; he had never used that phase before. Harry stood up and began to clear their now-empty plates off the small table in the kitchen. He set them in the sink, sprayed them with water and then left the room.

"I'm going to get ready to go," He called over his shoulder. Several minutes later there was a sharp rap on the door to Harry's bedroom.

"Harry, are you ready?" Remus called through the door. Harry pulled on a jacket and stepped out in the hall, following Remus downstairs.

"Yeah, I'm set. See you later Draco," Harry called. Draco in turn set his book down and caught Harry's elbow, stalling him for a bit.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" The Slytherin whispered in his friend's ear.

"I'll be fine Draco, don't worry about it. I'll see you when I get back, okay?" Harry whispered in return as Draco let his arm go.

"Alright then. Just be careful and alert," He cautioned. Harry rolled his eyes, but nodded, and returned to Remus' side as he grabbed a handful of floo powder. Shouting 'St. Mungo's' into the fireplace, Harry disappeared with a whoosh and Draco found himself alone in the room with Remus Lupin. He glared defiantly at the older man.

"Wipe that ridiculous look off your face, Mr. Malfoy. Just listen to what I have to say. If you—"

"If I hurt Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form, you'll rip my head off with your claws and eat my body alive. I know," Draco said defensively. Remus smiled a bit.

"I see Alastor beat me to it, eh?" He asked.

"I even have a few bruises to prove it," Draco snapped, going back to his book. He heard Lupin leave the house in a bust of flame. _Is everyone out to keep me away from Harry?_ Draco wondered subconsciously. _Ahh, that's too bad. It won't work._

-----------------------------

Thanks for reading you guys! Don't forget, if there was something that you particularly liked about this chapter, or the story in general, I would LOVE to know. Go ahead and comment!

The Wykkyd

**Souless-tears**: Thanks! I had an incredibly hard time writing Draco's little speech in this chapter, so I'm glad he didn't come out too OOC. Isn't Harry's conscience a wonderful thing? laughs about insane!Harry

**fifespice**: Correct! Thanks for commenting, and yes, I enjoy Harry's little voices too. They're so much fun to write!

**gbheart**: Like I said, it was really hard to write that section of the chapter, but I'm glad you guys seem to think it went over pretty well. As for bad things….ahhh, can't tell! Thanks for commenting.

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: See? Everyone likes Harry's voices! Thanks!

**Hyper Hippie**: Thanks, I'm glad you feel I'm delving into Draco's character more.

**samgurlalways**: That's high praise, I hope I deserve it. And thanks!

**Korogi-chan**: Thank you for the compliment on my writing style. For me, knowing that someone likes my style is extremely high praise, so thanks.

**WildMage1245**: Yes, I'll keep going. Thanks!

**Crystal Malfoy**: That's all you have to say, it's really nice to know! Thank you so much.

**harrysloverdracosangel**: Thank you! In the beginning of this story I got quite a few comments on the character's in-characterness. I'm glad I've still got it! Thank you very much for the comment.

**DrAcO/hArRyGiRL**: Thanks! Slashyness coming up, I promise.

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: I think I've turned everyone against Moody in this story. Lol. Maybe I can find a way to redeem him…Thanks for the review! Ps: you were in Sweden? That is SO cool!

**Fate Weaver 42**: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much.

**Marblez**: I'm working on it, I promise!

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**iamanevilgenius**: Thank you very much! Here's the update, and I'm glad you find my story interesting.

**festis**: Thanks, sorry about the long wait for an update.

**A/N**: I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in a while; thanks for your patience. I'm having some computer trouble, but I should have Chapter 11 up fairly soon. It's time to see what Harry finds at the hospital…


	11. News From The Hospital

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 10), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

I am SO sorry it took so long to get this submitted. School's starting up again…so I've been ridiculously busy with all that. Then there was a slight computer problem. Anyway, this chapter has not been beta-ed yet, so any mistakes are completely my fault. Sorry about anything blatantly obvious that I missed.

Chapter 11 of **Catalyst**- News From The Hospital

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Harry was lost in thoughts of his conversation with Draco that morning when Remus appeared next to him several minutes later. The boy gave his friend a curious glance, yet Remus just shrugged, not telling Harry why he was several minutes behind. Yet Harry wasn't so oblivious as to not guess what Remus had been doing.

"You were talking to him, weren't you?" The Gryffindor student pressed as the werewolf led him down the halls.

"Yes. There are things he needs to know and be prepared for," Remus stated simply. Harry glared at him.

"Sure, and he already knows it. He's changed—"

"But we don't know how much."

"_I _know how much. He doesn't need people telling him that if he hurts me or anything, he's going to be thrown in Azkaban. There's a long story behind him, and why he's staying with me, and why we're…er…friends. I only told you a small part of it last night," Harry said as Remus glanced at a directory sign on the wall.

"Take a left here, Harry," The werewolf mentioned, ushering the boy around the corner. "Look Harry, it's important for me and maybe some of the other Order members, Moody for example, to know the whole story behind Mr. Malfoy and you. It might help us understand a bit more than we do now. Please Harry, tell us the whole story," Remus requested with a pleading look on his face.

"If you want Draco's story, ask him yourself," Harry snapped a bit harshly, ending the conversation so the rest of the walk through the maze of white halls was in silence. Harry fell to thinking, again, about Draco; he was a bit confused as to why he couldn't stop thinking about the blonde. _I need to stop thinking about him. I'm in a hospital, going to visit my critically injured friends, and all I can think about is Draco_, Harry complained silently. But at least thoughts of Draco were keeping a part of his mind off the reason why he was here.

"Harry? Penny for your thoughts," Remus broke in suddenly, catching the contemplative look on Harry's face.

"What? Oh," The Gryffindor student exclaimed, brought from his reverie, "I'm not really thinking about anything."

"Liar. I could make a guess if you like?" The glint in Remus' eye gave Harry the uncomfortable feeling that the werewolf knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Uh… no, don't guess. I'm just sorting things out, really," Harry said, trying not to appear too disconcerted. Remus nodded his head with an odd little lopsided grin, but his eyes held a bit of worry. He wondered if Harry knew what he could be getting himself into.

Several minutes later the two companions arrived at the entrance to a hall that was labeled with the names: _Weasley, Granger, Tonks_. Harry's throat tightened with nerves and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

"Go on in Harry. Do you want someone with you?" Remus said softly, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. The boy shook his head numbly and pushed open the door to greet a nurse who was cheerfully storing medical supplies in a cabinet.

"Hello dear, you must be Mr. Potter eh? Course you are." Harry opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off again, "Now dear, they don't know you're coming today, so I'm sure they'll be mighty glad to see you. Go right on in; we have Mrs. Granger and Mrs. Ginny Weasley sharing a room, and the three boys are sharing a room. Mrs. Molly Weasley and Mr. Arthur Weasley share the room down the hall, and Nympha—"

"Right. Er…thanks," Harry cut in, moving down the hall to Tonks' room without waiting for the nurse to finish. When he opened the door, he found her staring up at the ceiling and singing softly to herself. He cleared his throat quietly to alert her of his presence.

"Harry! That ridiculous nurse didn't say you were coming today!" Nymphadora cried with delight, although he voice was quiet and a bit raspy from her healing lung.

"Er…yeah. I thought I'd stop by for a spell," Harry said, coming over to her bed.

"It's so boring in here. Now I know what you must feel like when you're cooped up in the Hospital Wing back at Hogwarts. But at least you don't have to deal with that frivolous woman who calls herself a nurse," Tonks exclaimed, casting a scathing look towards the door, even though the nurse couldn't see inside the room. Harry laughed.

"So how do you feel? Do you know when they'll release you?"

"I feel fine. I can't talk for long periods of time because of my lung, but I'm healing much quicker than they anticipated. I should be out in about one week or less," The Auror said with a beam. Harry returned her smile.

"That's great Tonks, really good to hear."

"I'll be moving back into my muggle flat after this, although the Ministry offered a place for me to stay in. I'm trying to stay as far away from the Ministry as I can right now, though. So I didn't take them up on their offer."

"But you still work for them as an Auror, right?" Harry asked.

"Course I do. But I'm providing my own 'missions'. I've told them I'm working with another group of Ministry Aurors to round up a whole bunch of those Death Eaters. Which is true, in a way. They don't need to know anymore." Tonks grabbed a glass of water from her bed-side table and took a few sips. Harry rose.

"Well, you don't want to strain your lung. I'll go so you can…do whatever you were doing. It was really nice seeing you again Tonks, and I'm glad you're alright."

"Always nice to see you too, Harry. Thanks for comin' in to see me, I appreciate it," Nymphadora said cheerfully. Harry walked to the door, but just before leaving he turned around.

"I'm sorry, Tonks. I'm really sorry about all this," He whispered almost inaudibly, and then he turned and shut the door behind him. _What on Earth is he sorry for?_ Tonks wondered as she settled herself back down on the bed.

Harry made his way across the hall to the boys' rooms, and entered softly. He found that Ron was sleeping, and Fred was still unconscious, but George was sitting in a chair next to his twin.

"Hey George, how's it going?" Harry asked softly, walking over to him. The older boy raised his head and Harry wanted to turn away from those worried eyes that were bloodshot from crying. George just nodded wordlessly and Harry turned his gaze to Fred. His head was wrapped in bandages, although his bandaged chest was hidden under the light grey blanket. A shiver went down Harry's spine as he noticed how the pale white of Fred's skin clashed violently with his vivid orange hair.

"The mediwizards still don't know when he'll wake up. They say it could be this week, or sometime next month," George spoke up in a hollow voice.

"Oh," Harry said, "And how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. My hip's healed, although it's still a bit sore—at least I can walk—and my collar-bone's doing fine, although it's still in a magical brace. I'm just worried about Fred. What if he _never_ wakes up?" George whispered fearfully.

"Where's that famous Weasley optimism I'm so used to, George? Of course Fred'll wake up. It's going to be fine," Harry said, trying to convince himself of the truth in his words.

"Yeah, well, that's what everyone says now. 'It's going to be fine', does everything _look_ fine?" The red-haired boy said coldly. Harry bit his lip and closed his eyes, practically drowning in guilt by now. _Oh god, what if he _doesn't_ wake up? George will hate me. They should _all_ hate me. This was all my fault, I should have warned them about my dream. Why didn't I think about that more; take it seriously? If I had told Remus, or Moody about the dream, they would have alerted the Weasley's and then—_

"Harry mate? You ok?" George said, looking up at his friend and noticing that Harry was several shades paler now then when he came in. The Boy Who Lived just nodded, opening his eyes. He wasn't going to burden George with his thoughts.

"Anyway, Fred's going to wake up. I read a bit about comatose patients over the summer. Their physical injuries heal much faster than patients who aren't in a constant state of rest, so when Fred wakes up, he should be tired and a bit weak, but other than that, he'll be fine," Harry said and George's face lit up.

"Really?" He asked, Harry smiled and nodded. "Great! Why didn't that old hag out there tell me?"

"Dunno," Harry said with a shrug. "Can I wake Ron up?"

"Yeah, he's been sleeping way too much anyway. He'll be outta here in a couple days, on crutches of course," George answered, giving Harry a smile that seemed forced before the black-haired teen went over to shake his friend awake.

"Ron, wake up. It's me, Harry."

"Wha…? Harry? Harry! You never said you were coming today," Ron said, blinking sleep out of his eyes and sitting up. "Wish mum and dad were awake to see you, she'd love to make sure you were eating enough."

"Yeah, I'd love to talk to them too. George told me you'll be out in a couple of days," Harry said, sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah, Hermione'll be out with me. We're going to stay with you at Grimmauld Place," Ron said with a large smile. Harry's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Well, the Burrow hasn't been cleaned up from the raid, so me, Hermione, and Ginny made plans with Professor Lupin to stay with you, considering you don't have company. You're ok with that, right mate?"

"Oh yeah. That's fine. It'll be fun," Harry said, already trying to decided if he should tell Ron about his present company. He decided against it for now. "Right, that'll be great," Then lowering his voice, "What about George? He can come if he wants." Ron shook his head.

"Nah, he won't want to go. He hasn't left this room since he was allowed out of bed anyway. He's still…worried about Fred."

"To put it lightly," Harry said.

"Yeah, anyway, I'm starving. Gonna head down to the kitchens and see if I can beg something from Lucinda," Ron said, grabbed his crutches and hauling himself out of bed. He had gone to sleep in his normal clothes. "These magical brace things are great, you can't see them, but they still provide support for your bones. And they're not bulky or anything, so you can wear pants over them. Hermione's been having a field day doing research on them. Don't start her though" Ron commented as he put a shoe on his right foot, leaving the broken foot bare.

"Ok, I'm going to go visit the girls for a bit, fancy a game of chess after that?" Harry asked, standing up as well.

"Sure thing, I'll meet you back here." Ron turned and hobbled out of the room on his crutches with Harry right behind him. When the green-eyed boy walked into the girls room, her found Hermione reading in a wheelchair, and Ginny drawing on her bed. When the red-haired girl saw Harry, she launched herself off the bed and tackled him in a giant hug.

"Harry! You're alright! We were so worried that You-Know-Who would catch up to you somehow," She cried out, still hugging Harry furiously.

"Er…yeah. I'm fine; looks like you are too," He observed, laughing a bit at Ginny's outburst. "You can let go now, I need to breathe." Ginny blushed and released him, pulling up a chair and sitting down on it.

"Yeah, me Hermione and I are great. Especially because we're going to be staying with you at Grimmauld Place!" The red-haired girl said with a spark of excitement in her eye. Harry looked over at Hermione, who was simply smiling at him in a rather unnerving way. Harry walked over to sit by her and hugged her gently, not wanting to disturb her broken arm.

"It's really good to see you. I have to admit, you look a lot better than I thought you would have," Hermione ventured, a grin spreading on her face which Harry returned.

"Yeah. Things have improved for me I guess. Ever since…er…" Harry faltered, not wanting to say 'ever since Draco showed up'. But of course, Hermione seemed to guess his meaning anyway.

"I'm assuming that you two are actually getting along and not ripping each other to pieces."

"Yeah. We get along. It was more of a truce at first, then a tentative friendship, and then we really started confusing ourselves. Then things sort of dropped off for a bit, I guess we tried going back to what we were at Hogwarts; you know, rivals. But it didn't last. So now…well, we're friends I guess," Harry finished with a shrug; he knew that Hermione still didn't like the idea of Draco staying in the same house with him. If the muggle-born witch noticed Harry's strategic pauses and stalls that only pointed to one thing, she didn't show it, instead she simply smiled and nodded.

"Well, I think it's good that you've had _some_ company. It looks like he kept you sane," Hermione observed. Harry laughed wryly; Hermione didn't know how close to the truth she had come.

"Yeah, it was great to have someone to…talk to."

"_Very_ good." Harry looked up at his friend curiously, which Hermione immediately read as the silent question of her acceptance. "Look Harry, after I sent my letter to you I did some thinking. I wrote to you without really reflecting on what you told me, which I should have done. I'm sure I made it sound as if I didn't like the idea that he was your guest, and that it was too dangerous for you to let him stay. I dashed upstairs right after reading it to reply to you. You didn't need to hear most of what I wrote in that letter, and I'm sure it was a bit hard for you when you read it. I'm really sorry that I didn't think about the situation _before_ writing you. I hope you weren't to upset," Hermione finished, giving Harry a truly apologetic look. Harry gave her a reassuring smile.

"Nah, it's fine. Really. I was a bit put out at first, but everything's smoothed over. It doesn't really matter, and I did understand where you were coming from." Hermione beamed and smashed Harry against her in a one-armed hug.

"I'm so glad you're not angry with me; I was worried about that," She said, relief filling her voice. Harry laughed and shook his head, amused by Hermione's worrying.

"So, any news that you could give to me? You know, about the Order?" Harry asked, shifting in his seat to get a bit more comfortable.

"Not much, except for the raid on the Burrow of course. Oh, but Snape's questioning came through with a ten-year sentence in Azkaban. He gave the Order members some useful information, and they took ten years off his sentence. He was originally given twenty. I guess that's standard for a Death Eater," Hermione said with a shrug.

"What? Only ten years? He was a Death Eater for longer than that! Just what kind of information did he give them?" Harry demanded rather loudly, sitting up straight.

"Calm down, Harry. He gave the Order, and the Ministry, information on the plans of You-Know-Who. While his explanations were rather round-about, Moody was able to make sense of them. Unfortunately for us, the Order won't tell us anything along the lines of what You-Know-Who is going to do. I'm assuming that the Order members are making you stay at Grimmauld the whole summer?"

"Yeah, but I can leave if I have an Order member with me. Remus offered to take me here; I think he's visiting with Tonks right now. They all made it clear that searching for horcruxes wasn't going to be my hobby this summer. Plus, they want us all to go back to school next year, if Hogwarts is still running," Harry said with a glum face.

"WHAT? Close Hogwarts? Have they all gone insane? They _can't_ close Hogwarts," Hermione protested passionately.

"Well, it use to be sort of a safe-haven for students. But now, it isn't as safe as it was; with Dumbledore gone and all. Look, what do you think we should do? Go back to school next fall, or start searching?" Harry asked, looking into Hermione's large brown eyes. She sighed.

"Well, they do have a point I suppose. Going back to Hogwarts would only help us." Hermione mentioned.

"I know. Start of term is always sort of a root that I cling to over the summer, something constant. There's just something about Hogwarts," Harry mused.

"Yeah, it gives you a hopeful feeling, doesn't it? Plus, start of term is only in several weeks. Alright, I have an appointment to fix my arm for good in a couple minutes and I'd really like to finish this chapter if you don't mind," Hermione said, looking down at her book. Harry laughed, this was the same old Hermione he knew.

"Fine with me, 'Mione. One more question: I thought the mediwizards and witches weren't going to heal you with magic?"

"Oh, my arm was a clean break, so they're not worried about any reactions the healing spells with have on my magic, or any curse residue. It's a fairly simple spell anyway. They won't heal my femur though, it's a bit too risky," Hermione answered, going immediately back to her book. Harry squeezed her shoulder.

"It's great to see you again, Hermione," He said softly as he went back over to Ginny who was back to drawing in a sketchbook. Harry peeked over her shoulder to see a familiar house with a garden out in front.

"The Burrow?" He confirmed.

"Yeah. It won't be re-built the same as it used to be, so I wanted to draw the 'original' Burrow before I can't remember it anymore." Harry just nodded and sat down next to her, still looking at the picture. After a while her felt her blue eyes staring at him and looked back up. Ginny had a funny expression on her face, but when her eyes connected with Harry's, she blushed and looked back at her drawing. Harry shrugged the odd behavior off and stood.

"Alright you two, I'll see you in a couple of days. Can't wait," Harry said with a smile as he got up, still concerned about breaking the news to Draco. The summer might not be as comfortable as he had hoped. Hermione wheeled over to the door just as he got to it.

"Let's talk, Harry," She whispered, sending a quick glance in Ginny's direction. Harry followed his friend out the door with a confused expression. Hermione wheeled over to the end of the hall, then spun her chair around to face Harry. "How are you going to tell everyone about Malfoy? And _are_ you going to tell them? She demanded. Harry cringed.

"I'll tell Draco when I get back tonight, but I honestly don't know about Ginny and Ron. Should I tell them today?" Harry asked, running his hands through his hair. Hermione pondered this for several moments.

"I'd wait for them to find out at Grimmauld. I don't think they're going to refuse to stay there, because it's ages better then this place. But…I really don't know what they're reactions will be. I'm not even sure what _my_ reaction is going to be. It's one this know that he's there, and another to actually _see_ him there. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see," Hermione reasoned, giving Harry a reassuring smile. "Talk to him tonight, I know you said he's changed, but that doesn't mean he's going to be civil to us."

"I'll talk to him. But if you expect him to be civil, you're going to have to make sure that Ron and Ginny are civil as well," Harry said.

"Alright. We'll deal with it one step at a time, alright? Now, I'm late for my appointment; see you in a couple of days, Harry." With that, Hermione flicked her wand and she started rolling down the hall. Harry gave her a wave and a smile before heading back to the boy's room. Ron wasn't back yet, and George was sitting silently next to his brother's bed. The guilt flooded back into Harry. You rarely saw George in such a glum mood.

"Hey George," Harry whispered; George didn't turn around. "George, I'm really sorry about all this. It was sort of my fault I guess," Harry added apologetically. George just shrugged.

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything about it," George muttered softly, but something in his voice didn't convince Harry that the red-haired teen believed what he had said. Harry closed his eyes, re-composing himself as quickly as he could, and left the room. He could wait for Ron in the hall.

--------------------

I should have another chapter up fairly shortly, although I'm not sure if it will be beta-ed yet.

I really didn't mean to make George mean in this chapter, or the next, but I promise I'll make it up to him.

Thanks for reading! _PLEASE_ review. Seriously, when I'm positive that people like what I'm writing, I'm inspired to write more, resulting in faster updates. Just so you know ;)

The Wykkyd

**-------------------------**

**Redmeadow**: Thank you very much. Jeez, I really _did_ turn everyone against Moody in this story! Whoops! I'll see what I can do to him now, because so many people are telling me that he needs pay-back. Thank you for your honesty about the 'poor me' Harry. I see what you mean, and the subject is rather overused by now. I'll try and keep all that to a minimum, although I can't promise never to write it in again. There's a actually a bit more in this next chapter, and I'd change it, but it's all inter-woven by now. Sorry. I hope you continue to enjoy the story nevertheless.

**Zarrie**: I'm so sorry this is that late! Yes, Ginny has an…_interesting_ reaction. But you'll have to wait a few more chapters! Thanks for the comment.

**Serpent91**: Thanks a bunch!

**Souless-tears**: Yeah, George is a bit depressed right now. I thought it would be fairly realistic for him to have that reaction to his twin being in that condition, seeing as the two were very close. Thanks you so much for your comment.

**gbheart**: Harry is feeling a bit bad right now. He'll cheer up though!

**WildMage1245**: Thank you very much, I hope you continue to do so!

**SpeechlessQuestion**: Aren't computers frustrating at times? As much as I like mine, it can really be a pain when it isn't working properly. Anyway, I REALLY like Draco's reaction to the new guests, well, a couple of his comments before anything comes up. Yikes, I could so easily start giving hints now. I need to stop! Thanks for the comment.

**WindyGalux**: Thank you. I appreciate compliments about my style, as I've worked hard to develop it into what it is now.

**Kakashi-ForJNB**: Thank you for reviewing! Don't worry about not reviewing all the chapters, although I do love reading peoples comments.

**BornofStarlight**: Let's see, I think the farthest was…might be Paris. But it was sort of a pm, so I don't know if it counts. Anyway, Taiwan is a new record! Congratulations! ;). Anyway, I'm really trying to keep updating at reasonable intervals, although schools starting and things are getting a bit hectic. And thanks for the compliment!

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: Emo doesn't really fit George does it? Although his identical twin is in critical condition, and they don't know if that'll improve at all. So he does have a bit of an excuse…Anyway, I like Draco's reaction, so I hope you all will too!

**Inbear2004**: Thank you, quite a few people are interested in what Harry's friends reactions will be, although things turn out a bit differently to be expected at first…;) Thanks for the comment!

**GreenEyedCatDragon**: Yeah, Harry'll get off that streak in a bit, because I know it can get annoying to read too much of it. Thanks for reviewing.

**festis**: Thank you, things'll cheer up soon. Don't worry. While sad stuff is fun to write, it's only in moderation.

**Aisling-Siobhan**: Thanks!

Anyhow, thanks for all the comments. I LOVE reading them; it's inspiring. Chap. 13 should be up sooner rather than later!


	12. The Conversation In The Library

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 11), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

Chapter 12 of **Catalyst**- The Conversation In The Library

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Draco looked up when there was a whoosh followed by a coughing noise coming from the fireplace. Sure enough, there was a dismal looking Harry stepping into the room, followed by a slightly happier Remus Lupin.

"Thanks for taking me, Remus. You can go," Harry said quietly, making it clear that Remus was dismissed. The werewolf sent a glance at Draco, and hugged Harry briefly. The black-haired Gryffindor didn't react except to wave a bit as Remus pulled away and stepped into the fireplace. When the two boys were alone, Harry sighed and slumped down on the couch across the room, flopping limply onto his back and letting his hair fall into his eyes which were staring vacantly up at the ceiling.

"He blames me." Those three simple words raised Draco's hackles. _They couldn't; they're his _friends, he thought bitterly. Immediately Malfoy rose off his chair and came to kneel beside Harry.

"Who blames you?" He whispered gently, not wanting to shatter Harry's fragile state of mind at the moment.

"_They_ do," Harry whispered in an almost inaudible voice, never once taking his eyes off the ceiling.

"No they don't. There's nothing to blame you for; you didn't do anything," Draco persuaded, setting a hand on Harry's shoulder. The Gryffindor shook his head.

"They do. They _should_."

"No! There's no reason to blame you for the attack on their house. Don't think that, Harry. Don't. It's not true."

"Yes it is, Draco. You don't understand. They were attacked because Voldemort thought I was staying there. They were hurt because I _should have_ been there. Fred was hurt and George thinks, _knows_, it was my…" Harry mentioned a bit louder, turning his head away from the Slytherin.

"I understand all that, Harry. But it was. Not. Your. Fault," Malfoy said, pausing between each word to make his point clear. "You have nothing to feel guilty about, and George is being a fool." Harry just moaned and rolled over, pressing his face into the pillow. Draco sighed and stood up, knowing that arguing with Harry was pointless right now. It was better to let the matter rest for the moment.

"Kreacher's making dinner for us; even though it's a bit late," Draco informed his friend, glancing at the clock which read nine post meridian.

"He'll poison us," Harry protested, shuddering at the thought of Kreacher cooking.

"I told him that I would strip the flesh off his body if he put anything odd in the food. He believed me; we'll be fine," Draco said with a smirk on his face. It was amazing how much respect the Malfoy name had among Death Eater families, which included the house elves. Harry pulled his face out of the pillow and swung his legs over the couch.

"I'm going to go take a shower. I feel dirty," The Gryffindor said, excusing himself to walk up the stairs and out of Draco's line of sight. The Slytherin began pacing in frustration when he heard the door to Harry's room close. _Why does he think it's his fault? I can't even make sense of it. If he was staying there, he would have been captured, and the Weasleys would still be hurt. So it didn't really matter either way. No matter what he did, the Weasleys would end up hurt. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and there was nothing Harry could do about it. Why the hell does he blame himself? _Draco ran his hands through his hair, frustrated because he couldn't do anything to help Harry rid himself of that guilt. _That boy's hero complex is too large for his own good, dammit._

Half an hour later Harry came down the stairs, his hair still wet and glistening from the shower. Draco was already seated at the table in the kitchen, serving a plate of food for Harry as well as himself. The Gryffindor sat down with a smile of gratitude directed at Malfoy.

"Thanks Kreacher," He called over his shoulder sweetly, only to get a grumble of a reply from the house elf. Draco hid his laugh under a smirk and began eating.

"I have some things to tell you. First off, I thought you might like to know about Snape," Harry ventured. At the mention of his godfather's name, Draco's head snapped up.

"What about him? Is he alright? What's his sentence?" The blonde-haired boy asked quickly.

"Snape's fine. He's been sentenced to ten years in Azkaban, well, the section that's still controlled by the Ministry," Harry answered, "He…told the Ministry Voldemort's plans so they took ten years off."

"And those plans were…?" Draco prompted, his eyes full of worry for the potions teacher.

"Something involving me, I'm sure. I think he's hoping to find me over the summer, and…well, I don't really know," Harry said.

"Well, the Dark Lord doesn't like variables, and you are definitely a variable. Is there any chance I'd be able to see Severus?" Draco asked, his voice hopeful, but his eyes doubting.

"You know the answer to that, Draco. You're still a Death Eater as far as everyone else knows; it wouldn't be safe. Even if I came with you. Plus, there's the whole dementor rebellion and such. Azkaban is mostly controlled by Voldemort now. I'm sorry; if I could help, I would. You know that," Harry said regretfully. Draco nodded sadly.

"Anything else that concerns me?" The Slytherin asked several bites of food later.

"Er…yeah. We're having guests come in two days," Harry said a bit uncomfortably. Draco wasn't going to like this news whatsoever.

"How many?" Malfoy asked warily, a sinking feeling dropping into his stomach.

"Three. Hermione, Ron and Ginny. They'll be staying with us for the rest of the summer," Harry said quickly, glancing up at his friend to catch his reaction.

"Kill me now," Draco said in a flat voice.

"So, when Granger and the Weasleys get here…I take it they'll be staying in the two guest bedrooms in the East Wing?" Draco ventured later when the two boys were reading on individual chairs in the living room.

"Well, that's where they normally stay, although I thought they could take a couple rooms in the West Wing so you'd have a bit more privacy. I think we can avoid some confrontations that way too," Harry answered with a lopsided smile. Draco smirked in return.

"That sounds perfect," The Slytherin replied.

"Look, you can't go around needling them like you usually do. I'll talk to the three of them about it, but I need you to be patient with them. Ron's not going to like this at all, and he'll try his best to get provoke you; please refrain from blasting him through the nearest wall." Harry gave the Slytherin a small smile and waited for an answer.

"Fine. But you're going to talk to them. Don't expect me to warm up to them like I have to you. They're not my friends; they're not you. So I'm not going to go out of my way to be nice to them, and if they start firing insults at me, I'll defend myself," Draco compromised, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"As long as you don't defend yourself with your wand, I'm fine with it. I'm not asking you to offer your friendship, but you need to be civil. Deal?"

"Deal. I promise to be civil," Draco said as he went back to his book on potions. He still had some research to do on the more complex truth potions, and he wanted to get them right the first try. He had spent the day looking through the Black's library for potion books, and was amazed to find quite a collection of books that were either illegal, or extremely rare. He wondered if any of the Order members had actually looked through the whole collection of books, although he doubted it because of the illegal prints that still resided there. The remaining hours of his afternoon had been spent exploring the house and getting a feel for the entire layout. The second floor was easy to understand: four separate wings; the North, West, and East wings holding bedrooms and bathrooms, and the South wing housing several storage rooms, one empty room, and the stairs leading up to the attic. Draco's personal room was in the East Wing, whereas Harry's was the only room in the North Wing. Most of the guest rooms were in the West Wing, although some of the nicer ones were near Malfoy's.

The first floor was a bit more complicated. The entry-way joined with the living room, which branched off to the bathroom on the first floor, the kitchen, and a hall which led to the library, an office of sorts, and the dining room. The living room was fairly large, filled with chairs and couches that were put to use after Order meetings when everyone was simply lounging around. The kitchen was also large, with a door that connected directly to the dining room where there was a huge table and about twenty chairs surrounding it. Draco assumed that the office, or study, was where the Order held meetings. There was a large desk there, with a slew of chairs lining the walls. An archway connected the study to the library, which Draco decided was his favorite room in the house.

The library had a different feel to it then the rest of Grimmauld place. There were shelves and shelves of dusty books, with a couch in the back that was completely hidden from a position in the doorway. Even when all the lamps were turned on, the lighting was dim, but not so dark it was hard to read. Draco couldn't pinpoint why he liked the library so much, but he was sure it had something to do with the comforting, peaceful atmosphere. All the old books that rested on their shelves reminded him of the Malfoy Manor, which, while he might not enjoy the people in it, was always a safe-haven for him. That is, until Lucius himself locked him up in the dungeons. Still, the library in the Black's house brought back fond memories of his childhood, as well as bittersweet ones.

The clatter of plates brought Draco out of his reminiscing and he stood up to bring his dishes over to Harry. It was an unspoken agreement that Harry would always do dishes after dinner, un-magically, and that Draco would put them away, magically of course.

"So, what did you do today? Any potions brewing upstairs?" Harry asked casually, his hands scrubbing a porcelain plate with a sponge. Draco floated a stack of plates to their proper shelf before answering.

"No. I needed to do a bit of research before starting one of the truth potions I'd like to brew. I spent part of the day exploring, but most of it was spent in the library. The Black's have an impressive collection," Malfoy remarked. Harry nodded.

"I know. There are quite a few books in there that they don't even print anymore," Harry offered.

"And some of them are flat-out illegal," Draco informed the Gryffindor. Harry's eyebrows rose.

"Really? I didn't know that," The black-haired teen exclaimed with intense curiosity. Malfoy smirked.

"Sure. There are quite of few of them; all different subjects."

"Show me?"

"Why not? Let's finish dishes, then we'll go into the library. That is, as long as you don't want to go to bed. It _is_ a bit late," Draco said, levitating a few pans to their home in a certain cupboard.

"I'm not tired, and a distraction from everything would be great. Let's go." Harry tossed the last clean dish into the air, where Malfoy caught it neatly in the air with a spell, drying it instantly and putting it away. Draco led the way into the dinning room, out into the hall, and into the library. The Slytherin drifted to the back of the room, where there were two large shelves that stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling.

"I figure that this is where most of the rare or illegal books are kept, although I came across certain volumes in the other shelves as well. Take a look at this one," Draco pulled a huge, dusty book off one of the rows and handed it to Harry. "It contains some of the oldest forms of simple spells that we know today." Harry shot him a confused glance as he paged through the book. Draco sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the table near it. "It's not hard to understand, Potter. Like all things, magic evolves over time. Thousands of years ago, magic wasn't as refined as it is now. Spells in that book channel the raw power that radiates from our core, and thus provokes a very potent reaction. Of course, taking power directly from our core and not filtering it through a wand takes much more control."

"So this book is full of wandless magic?" Harry clarified. Draco nodded.

"Basically. It's a different form of wandless magic than we would learn in class now, much less refined, as I said earlier. The effect is more powerful, but it takes a very strong wizard to control it," Malfoy stated, calling another book to him with the flick of his wand.

"How strong of a wizard?" Harry wondered aloud.

"I don't know. My guess is that in order to go about performing raw spells like that, you would have to work up gradually, from simple spells to more advanced ones. Along the way you would learn the necessary control." Harry sat down on the other end of the couch, several feet away from Draco and continued paging through the book.

"So why is this book illegal?" He asked after a time.

"Isn't it obvious? The effects of spells like that when performed by an inadequate wizard could be fatal. A wizard trained in raw magic would be powerful beyond belief, and that wizard won't always have good intentions. Several hundred years ago some maniacal insane witch got hold of a book similar to that, and almost wiped out the entire magical community in some foreign country. Ever since then, books on raw magic have been banned."

"Raw magic is more powerful because it's not 'filtered' through a wand, and comes directly from our magical cores, and that would make any spell much more potent. So, if you worked at it, you could master the raw magic from your core and thus…"

"Power hungry, Potter?" Draco interrupted with a smirk on his face. Harry blushed a bit and shook his head.

"No. I was just thinking about Voldemort. What if he's able to access his magical core, and use that directly?"

"He can't. Not for lack of trying, mind you, but he can't. I heard Lucius talking about it. Plus, tapping right into your core and using the magic stored there is quite draining. You'd put up a fierce and devastating fight, but not for long because your core magic would be drained. If you drain all of your core magic, you die," Draco said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know all of this?" Harry asked suddenly, "About core magic, and illegal books and such?" Malfoy simply shrugged.

"I recognized a lot of the illegal books in this library. I've gone through quite a few of them back at Malfoy Manor. My summers use to be spent reading books such as that one, " Draco waved his hand at the book Harry was still flipping through, "So I've got a pretty good store of information on material like that. It's always fascinated me." Harry slowly shut the volume in his lap, and brought his feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch.

"Is that how you spent your whole summer? Stuck at the Manor?" Harry asked. Draco put his own book down on the table near his feet and shrugged.

"Most of it was spent there. Occasionally I'd go to one of my relative's mansions if father—Lucius and Narcissa were on business. My summers were never interesting, really. They consisted of studying, impressing Lucius' guests at parties, and acting the snobbish Malfoy heir. None of which were very hard to do. What about you? What were your summers like?" Draco asked after answering Harry's question. The emerald-eyed boy looked down.

"My summers weren't any better than yours. I got out maybe once or twice when my relatives would let me, but for the most part I either studied in my room, or did chores for them. Near the end of the summer I went to the Weasley's though; those days were the best of my holiday."

"Your relatives sound positively wonderful," Draco commented sarcastically. Harry laughed.

"No better than yours, except mine are magic-hating muggles instead of Death Eaters."

"Magic-hating? What's that supposed to mean?" Malfoy asked.

"It means they were balancing their fear of me with contempt, and keeping me locked up in my room for most of the time so they didn't have to acknowledge my existence any more than necessary," Harry answered with a grim smile.

"I see," Draco commented, a bit stunned. _Harry's family hates magic? They locked him in a room all summer? That's horrible,_ He thought. Draco had always been under the impression that the savior of the wizarding world was treated with respect over the summer, not locked up in a room. Briefly, he wondered if Harry's relatives had ever gone beyond simply locking the Boy-Who-Lived up. Malfoy looked at Harry and forced a smile while picking his book back up, leaving the two in companionable silence.

Every once and a while Draco would look over the spine of his book at Harry, taking in the contour of his face, the glint of his glasses, the sparks of green behind the lenses, the sharp nose, soft lips…In his mind, Draco began replaying the conversation he had had with Harry in the morning. What if he had said too much? What if Harry no longer felt anything but friendship between them? What if Harry had never felt anything more than that, and Draco had simply misinterpreted? Questions and doubts began to creep their way into Draco's head and try as he might, he couldn't get them to leave. What if he had read Harry incorrectly? What if Harry simply laughed in his face tomorrow and completely rejected him? What if…?

"Draco? Are you alright?" Harry's voice broke the stream of roaring questions in the Slytherin's head.

"I'm perfectly fine. Just a bit tired. I think I'll go to bed, it's late," Draco said, making any excuse to get out of Harry's presence. Somehow, he could almost sense Harry's reaction to his question the next day, and it wasn't the reaction Draco so wanted to hear. Harry gave a smile and stood up, taking the book he was reading as well as the one Draco had and replacing them back in their proper places.

"You're right, it's late, and we have some rooms to get ready in the morning," Harry said, walking with Draco to the door of the library.

"What makes you think that _I'll_ be helping?" Malfoy asked with a grin.

"I _know_ you'll be helping," Harry quipped playfully, shoving Draco sideways with his arm. The Slytherin would have returned the playful shove, but he wasn't in the mood. He was simply enjoying this moment of friendship between the two unlikely companions before it all ended tomorrow with Harry's response.

At the top of the stairs, Harry smiled and gave a mock bow while bidding Malfoy goodnight and 'happy birthday'. Draco smiled a bit.

"Goodnight, Harry."

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Thanks for reading everyone! You know the drill, 'submit' button's right there…it'd be great to here from you all!

The Wykkyd

And for all the WONDERFUL people who reviewed, thank you! You pretty much made my week; I loved reading every word of your comments. And…you broke your record! 21 something reviews! That is SO awesome! Thanks a million everyone!

**WindyGalux**: Thank you very much, of course I'll keep going! Glad you're enjoying my story.

**Serpent91**: Thanks so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it, although I think just about everyone is going to like chap. 13!

**NinjaoftheDarkness**: I think I already got back to you on this, but 'tomorrow' was that day Draco's expecting to get his answer from Harry. So…here's that update!

**Hahukum Konn**: Thank you, that's really what I was aiming for. I mean, it took thirteen chapters for the two to get together, so it better be fairly believable! I'm going to re-write that ministry holding cell in there pretty quick, thanks for letting me use the idea!

**Dezra**: Thank you. I know everyone wants to see some interaction between Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Draco. Soon everyone! I promise!

**Redmeadow**: You'll have to wait one more chapter or so for some interaction between all the students. I think you'll be a bit surprised, actually. But rest assured, I completely agree with you that Harry should stick up for Draco. But, you'll have to wait and see what happens! Thanks for your comment.

**Kakashi-FotJNB**: Thanks, yes, Harry's answer is in this chapter. Initially, bit different then expected…but this is Harry were talking about! Thanks for the comment.

**Zarrie**: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the plot I'm developing. I seriously hope you keep reading and enjoying!

**festis**: Thanks, keep on lovin' it! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**Kati**: I'll keep updating until the end, which is still undetermined. So don't worry! There will always be updates!

**ToyoKadiyaMikayla**: That's what I was thinking…It's fun to make Harry a very powerful wizard! And I don't think it's Ron that Draco's going to have to worry about! But that's later…Thanks for the comment, I love hearing your thoughts.

**gbheart**: Thanks. Draco really shouldn't doubt so…he has absolutely _nothing_ to worry about.

**dreamerdoll**: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! I really work at keeping the characters as in character as possible. Sometimes it's really hard to do, but I'll always try. I was a bit nervous about writing Draco, because he's so emotionless sometimes, so I'm really glad that you think he's okay! Thanks for your comment, I hope you continue reading!

**SpeechlessQuestion**: Thanks, yeah, that was a drama-lacking chapter, but I'm not into tons and tons of drama for the characters. Harry/Draco interaction's enough! It'll pick up quite a bit around Grimmauld Place in a bit though…Thanks for your comment!

**TearCat**: I know what you mean. I'm thinking of hinting at slight abuse of Harry, and Draco will probably find out at some time, but it's not going to be a large part of the story. We'll see. I hope you like this next chapter!

**Inbear2004**: Well, it would make a better hiding place, but it was also the residence of the Black family, so I've always imagined it to be fairly large. But that's just me. I hope you don't mind too much. Like I told TearCat, I might bring Harry's 'home life' with the Dursleys in later, but it won't be anything major. Thanks for the comment!

**fifespice**: I think this next couple chapters are going to answer your questions, so I can't spoil anything for you! I'm glad you like so far though.

**CrimsonTears93**: Thank you so much! I'm glad it held your interest throughout the whole thing, that's really great to hear. I was really worried that it took too long to get Harry and Draco together for people to hang in there, but I'm glad I did okay. I know that this is a rather common thing, with Draco tortured and Harry being nice to him, but I was inspired by the idea. It's good to know I've turned it into something a bit more original than some. Thanks for reviewing!

**Junx**: (I like your username by the way) Thanks, I hope you keep reading!

**thevampiresweetie**: Thank you! Ron, Hermione and Ginny arrive in a couple chapters, chapter 13 focuses on the two teens already occupying Grimmauld Place. I'm planning on a happing ending, so don't worry!

**Fate Weaver 42**: I'm glad you liked both chapter, and don't worry about reviewing late. Hey, better late then never! I really don't mind at all, and I'm honored that you comment at all! I think subconsciously Draco does know how Harry really feels, but he won't know for sure until…Insert Chapter 13, I hope you enjoy it!


	13. The Dangerous Truth

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed (I left a note for you in Chapter 12), thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

And FINALLY…the chapter you've all been waiting for!

Chapter 13 of **Catalyst**- The Dangerous Truth

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The next afternoon found Malfoy and Potter sitting on the couch in the library in the midst of an uncomfortable silence. No words had been spoken about yesterday morning's conversation, and Draco was beginning to feel increasingly worried. From his point of view Harry could do three things: tell him that 'yes, we should be together', or 'no, I don't feel that way about you', or simply not address the issue at all. The last option was one that Draco was extremely worried about. A flat rejection would be shattering, although at least he would _know_ where Harry stood on the subject. Ignoring the conversation at all would leave him hanging until he got an answer out of Harry. Which could be a while.

After several minutes of contemplation on this subject, Draco opened his mouth. Harry was going to give him an answer; he would not be brushed off.

"Harry, have you given any thought to what I said yesterday morning?" He asked, trying to keep the insecure pitch of his voice to a minimum. Harry looked up from his book and took a deep breath. _Now or never, Harry. God…Ron's going to think I'm mental. Hell, I probably am…_

"Er…yeah. I though about it…" Harry started, pausing to take another breath and figure out just how he wanted to phrase this. 'Course, things he wanted to say rarely came out the way he wanted to say them, but he figured if he could get it right just this once, he would never ask whatever higher being out there to help him get it right again. Draco, taking Harry's pause the wrong way, sighed and flopped back on the couch in a very un-Draco-like way, his eyes closed.

"No, what I meant was…I mean…I didn't…" Without waiting for Harry to finish his rather incoherent sentence, Malfoy shook his head and stood up, striding swiftly from the room. Harry didn't move, stunned. _What just happened? Shit. Shit, shit, shit…_

Draco stopped walking just outside of his door, pausing to lean back on the wall. _Collect yourself,_ he repeated over and over in his head. His eyes were shut tight to keep any tears that welled up from spilling down his cheeks, although his breathing was still even and flowing, not sounding at all as if he was about to burst into tears. A minute later Draco pushed himself off the wall and stormed into his room, a grim smile of satisfaction on his face because he still had enough control to not shed a single tear over Harry. He wouldn't cry over it. Not now. Not ever. It was best to simply let it go, not bring it up again, and ignore the whole bloody thing.

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Harry was pacing in the library. He knew he should go after Draco, tell him that he _did_ want to be with him, wanted to hold him, protect him, kiss him. But something was holding him back. This relationship wasn't supposed to happen. If Draco hadn't shown up at his door twelve days ago, these events wouldn't have been in his wildest dreams. It would be so easy to simply walk away from this whole mess. He knew Draco's pride wouldn't let the Slytherin mention it until Harry himself brought it up, so if he let the whole thing pass, it would forever be set over his shoulder. In the past. But maybe he didn't want it to be. No, he _knew_ he didn't want it to be.

Moments short of pulling all his hair out in frustration, Harry left the library and crept up to his room, hoping Draco wouldn't hear him. _I should talk to him; tell him how I feel…_ He prodded himself as he flung himself face-down on his bed, smashing his glasses into his face uncomfortably. Lifting his face out of the pillow, he took his glasses off and set them on the nightstand near the bed. His hand fell on the picture of the laughing Marauders at Hogwarts.

"Ever screwed something up so much that you don't even know if you _want_ to fix it?" Harry whispered to the four of them, "Ever liked someone you shouldn't? Even fallen head-over-heels for someone that was a completely arrogant, sexy, lost, screwed-up git? Yeah, didn't think so."

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Draco didn't know how long he spent brewing that potion. But he had needed to do _something._ He didn't want to simply lay there and brood. Potion brewing always calmed him down anyways; stole his attention for long enough to keep him in a rather ignorant and apathetic bubble. But this time, even counting one-hundred and fifty strokes clockwise, and then seven counter-clockwise wasn't taking his mind off the day's events, or event really. His hands performed the simple sleeping potion, although his brain wasn't engaged. Brewing such simple potions had become second nature; automatic. It wasn't something that he needed to think about, or pour his concentration into. So he threw the potion out halfway through stirring it. He wanted to brew something _challenging_, something that would command every ounce of concentration in him. After a quick look through the potions book Molly Weasley had purchased for him, Draco settled on a complex truth potion, one not as powerful as veritaserum, but powerful nonetheless. As he gathered the necessary ingredients together, his mind drifted back to his and Harry's last conversation of the day. _I shouldn't have brought it up. I should have waited until he was obviously ready to reveal his decision; I shouldn't have forced it out of him,_ Draco thought as he levitated the potions book just above his cauldron so he could see while brewing. _Why couldn't I have just been more patient? I need to stop thinking about that, _he told himself as he began mincing Hobblydob legs into miniscule pieces.

One thing led to another and soon Malfoy was completely consumed by the potion he was brewing; no stray thoughts invaded his mind. Well past midnight the Slytherin boy was bent over the cauldron, stirring it, or adding in another rare ingredient. His eyes watered from the silvery mists that rose from the bubbling rose, although he didn't blink once, simply letting the water run down his face; he couldn't break concentration now. As Draco sprinkled powered woodroot into the cauldron, a plume of white sprayed into his face, driving him backwards into the wall two feet away. _Ouch! I should know better than to lean in that close, _he chided himself as he brought a hand up to brush a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. Sighing a bit, and ignoring the fatigue that was plaguing him, Draco pushed himself upright and went back over to the potions book that was dutifully floating mid-air.

_Carefully add the liquefied Dreckal wings whilst stirring counter-clockwise. Stir for ten seconds before adding four dragon scales._

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Harry was woken abruptly from his nightmare by a scream that went in perfect harmony with the cries of the Weasley's while they were being attacked in his mind. At first he dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. Dreaming was odd like that, even when you were waking, the sounds and smells of your dreams could still linger. But he was prodded into action when the scream was followed by and extremely loud crash and another cry of pain. Harry sat bolt upright as he grabbed his glasses and shoved them onto his face, then he sprang off the bed and careened into the hall.

A strange, ink-black liquid was seeping slowly from under Draco's door, glowing a faint silvery color. Without hesitating, Harry flung the door open and took in the sight that lay before him.

In the corner lay Draco's new cauldron, split in half and spilling the black substance all over the room. Literally. The potion seemed to have exploded out of the cauldron and hit sections of the walls, ceiling, and much of the furniture in the room as well. Harry looked around for Draco, and saw that the pale boy was slumped in the far corner of the room, dripping black potion.

"Draco!" He called franticly, picking his way across the room carefully as to avoid touching the mysterious fluid in case it was harmful.

"Don't touch…potion. It…burns…" Draco choked out, spitting a mouthful of the liquid out of his mouth and clutching his face in pain. Not paying attention to Malfoy's words, Harry hauled him to his feet and dragged him out into the hall, wincing as the potion came into contact with his bare feet and torso. It'd be fine if they could reach the bathroom.

As he pulled Malfoy down the hall, the Gryffindor began to remove the potion-saturated clothes that clung to Draco's thin frame, letting them fall on the floor carelessly. By the time the two reached the bathroom, the Slytherin was only wearing his pants, which were stained to the knees. Harry all but threw Draco into the shower, turning the water on full blast. He jumped in himself, letting the water rinse himself off as he used his hands to rub the slimy substance off his friend, who was moaning in pain.

"Come on Draco, come on…" Harry whispered as he took a washcloth from a rack just outside the shower and ran it over Malfoy's face. He ran his left hand through Draco's blonde hair, which had been stained a glistening black. Several seconds later Draco sat up, cupped some water in his hands and swished it around in his mouth. When he spat it back out, the water was black.

"Are you ok?" The black-haired boy asked, his hands still holding Draco's shoulders.

"Yeah. I think so. What about you?" Malfoy asked hoarsely, looking Harry over quickly to make sure none of the potion remained.

"I'm fine. A bit wet, but other than that…" Harry smiled and Draco laughed. The Gryffindor looked hilarious: his hair was plastered to his head, almost obscuring his eyes which were framed by water-sloshed glasses, and his pajamas soaked through and through. "Hey, you don't look much better yourself, except you're in slacks," Harry pointed out, tugging lightly on Draco's pant leg.

"Yeah, slacks that are completely ruined," Malfoy said after rinsing his mouth out again. Suddenly he found himself wrapped in Harry's arms.

"You scared the shit out of me Draco; _never_ do that again. What were you thinking, brewing a potion this late? It's three in the morning! Are you out of your mind?" Harry scolded passionately, holding the Slytherin even tighter. Draco smiled a bit and relaxed.

"Well, now we're even," The Slytherin said haughtily, smirking. Harry pulled back so he could see Draco's face, giving the boy a questioning look. "You scared _me_ when you read Lupin's letter the other day and started smashing windows."

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly, blushing a bit because he just realized what position the two of them were in. Draco was sitting on the floor of the shower with his back propped against the wall, his legs trapped under Harry who was straddling him, the black-haired boy's knees supporting his body. The Gryffindor's left hand was resting on Malfoy's shoulder, although his right had dropped to the floor near the blonde-boys hip. It didn't help that both boys were soaking wet. Draco squirmed a bit, looking at Harry who had a funny look on his face.

"Wh…" He started to ask, but he was cut off by a pair of lips capturing his own. Malfoy was so shocked it took several seconds for him to respond. _Harry's kissing me,_ he realized as he gripped the Gryffindor's shoulders and pulled him closer, smashing their bare torso's together. He had to admit, Harry didn't kiss like an insecure, inexperienced, teenage boy, as Draco had expected. Slowly, and rather tentatively, Draco ran his tongue along Harry's bottom lip, not wanting to rush the other boy into anything.

He needn't have worried.

Harry honestly had no idea why he had so spontaneously kissed Malfoy. But that was already behind him as the pair's tongues battled for dominance in a passionate dance, with Harry, who had the advantage, winning in the end. For once, Draco didn't mind that he was completely pinned down by someone, instead of the other way around; it was actually a nice change. The Slytherin's arms moved over Harry's shoulders, his left hand tangling itself in the Gryffindor's black hair, and his right hand running down the side of Harry's ribcage, tracing the prominent bones and muscles sensually. He felt one of Harry's hands splayed out on his abdomen, and the other gripping his hip firmly. When the hand on his stomach moved up his torso and fingers hooked themselves on the small ledge that was his collarbone, Draco couldn't suppress the moan that had been building for several seconds now. His stomach fluttered with a foreign emotion as Harry gently bit down on his lower lip, his teeth grazing him so lightly it could have been his imagination.

With renewed passion, Draco pulled Harry flush against him, his hands moving to the teen's lower back and keeping their hips pressed together as their mouths locked together and refused to part. Malfoy didn't know if his mouth was burning because this was _Harry, _and they were _kissing,_ or if he still had some remnants of the potion in him.

Several seconds later Draco pulled back, confusion and hope spelled out on his face in a rare display of emotion.

"I thought…" He started, his eyes probing Harry's for answers.

"Well, you walked out of the room before I had a chance to finish what I was going to say," Harry said, trailing his fingers absentmindedly down Draco's arm and stopping to rest on the Slytherin's slender hip. Malfoy smiled.

"You didn't exactly start off the way most people would if they wanted to tell someone that 'yes, I like you too', if you know what I mean. Then again, you rarely start sentences off the right way, so I really should have expected that," The Slytherin teased lightly, his trademark smirk in place. Harry glared at him.

"Prat. Now that we have that whole business cleared up, which is good because it's hard to avoid someone who's living in the same house as you, we should probably get out of the shower," Potter said, albeit a bit reluctantly, rocking back onto his feet and reaching up to turn the water off. Draco stood up as well, raking his hands through his wet hair in a feeble attempt to keep it dignified-looking, and stepped out of the shower while grabbing a towel. Harry did the same, opening the door off the bathroom and stepping out in the hall, not caring that water was still flowing off him. He could clean it up later. Before he started walking down the hall, he felt Draco's arm snake around his waist and pull him close.

"Hey, thanks for getting that potion off of me," Draco whispered, pressing his lips lightly just on the corner of Harry's eye, just below his glasses.

"What kind of potion was that, by the way?"

"A truth potion." Harry laughed softly, sending pleasant shivers down Draco's spine.

"A _dangerous_ one," The Gryffindor commented.

"Not normally, I guess I made a mistake."

"Draco Use-To-Be-Malfoy? Made a mistake? I don't believe it!" Harry said dramatically.

"I was tired," Draco said in excuse.

"Not my fault you staying up brewing a potion until three in the morning!" Harry exclaimed.

"I needed something to distract me," The Slytherin whispered, dropping his gaze to the floor. He felt Harry's arms wrap him in a quick hug and the Gryffindor's lips pressed quickly against his own.

"Right. We can clean your room up in the morning, as well as the hall. You can sleep in my bed; I'll get you a pair of pajamas to wear because we probably shouldn't go back into your room while that potion's everywhere." Draco nodded his agreement and followed Harry down to his room. The two dried themselves off quickly, dressed in dry pajamas and crawled under Harry's covers, back-to-back.

"Good night, Harry."

"Mmmm."

Draco suddenly clamped a firm grasp on Harry's shoulder and rolled him over so the Gryffindor was on his back, with Draco leaning over him. The blonde-haired boy smiled a bit before smashing their lips together.

-----------------------

Harry woke up in the morning with his face pressed into something smooth and warm, and with his arm draped over that something. The night's events came flooding back to him in a rush, and a smile crept into his face. Course, they still had a huge mess to clean up…_Shit! 'Mione, Ginny and Ron are coming this morning,_ Harry thought, rolling over and shaking Draco lightly.

"Draco, we have to get up, _now_," He said as Malfoy's eye's squeezed shut, then opened.

"Why…? Oh, right. What time is it?" He asked groggily, sitting up beside Harry.

"Late. We have a house to clean," Harry answered, now rifling around in his dresser for clothes to wear. Draco groaned and flopped back down on the bed.

"Tell Kreacher to do it," He suggested. Harry laughed as he buttoned up a white shirt and rolled up the sleeves.

"Yeah right, he'd do more damage than anything else. We _have_ to do it, so get up," The Gryffindor commanded, throwing a couch pillow at Draco who groaned again, but got out of bed. Harry grabbed his wand and headed out the door. As Malfoy got up, straightened his hair somewhat and went into the hall, he could head '_scourgify_'s coming from Harry's direction. _Is he trying to get expelled_? The blonde thought with a smirk; Harry was being rebellious; or plain forgetful. Draco voiced his thoughts, and Harry looked up.

"Not being able to do magic is ridiculous; I'm seventeen in two days and it's not practical to clean up deadly potions-gone-wrong by hand," The black-haired boy said with a shrug.

"Well, I could always do it. _Scourgify_! There. Mess is gone," Draco said. "Why didn't you tell me your birthday was so soon? I only have two days to figure out something to get for you." Harry shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"You don't need to get anything for my birthday. Don't worry about it."

"Shut up, Potter. I'm going to get you something for your birthday. It's something to celebrate! In two days, seventeen years ago, the savior of the world was born! That's quite a bit to celebrate actually," Draco said with a genuine smile; his smile reserved for Harry. He already had an idea formed; he just needed a bit of help from one of the Order members.

"I haven't exactly done any 'saving' yet, so don't get your hopes up. Just don't get something too big and expensive okay? And don't make a big deal out of it," Harry requested. Draco rolled his eyes at his friend's modesty, but complied wordlessly.

"I'll clean up my room and meet you downstairs alright? Don't do any complex spells though; the Ministry might overlook something small because you're 'Harry Potter', but they won't excuse anything elaborate," The Slytherin advised.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, Draco. Don't worry, and stop pestering me about it. I'll be downstairs dusting; Merlin knows the place needs it," The green-eyed boy said with a laugh.

-------------------------

How'd you like it? I had a lot of fun writing it; I think this is one of my favorite chapters.

Anyway…COMMENT! Please! I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this chapter! Last chapter I got 21 reviews! Seriously, that completely made my week! I LOVED reading those...so...thanks, and keep it up!

The Wykkyd


	14. Rash Misunderstanding

**Disclaimer**: 'Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...'

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks!

I got quite a few reviews for the last chapter, so I can't write everyone individual responses. I hope you don't mind too much! Thanks for taking the time to comment thought, I still love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter 14 of **Catalyst**- Rash Misunderstanding

------------------------------

Draco pulled his head out of the fireplace with a smile on his face. _I sure hope he doesn't have any trouble with this_, the Slytherin student thought as he climbed the stairs and entered his room.

------------------------------

"Harry? Harry, we're here! Where are you?" Ginny called loudly from the fireplace, quickly brushing some of the soot off her clothes before stepping out next to Ron and Hermione, who were both leaning on crutches. There was a hurried array of footsteps that could be heard clattering down the hall, and then a smiling Harry arrived at the top of the staircase.

"Hey guys, it's great to see you!" He exclaimed, panting slightly from his apparent sprint through the house. "Er…why don't you guys bring your stuff upstairs, I've got rooms ready for you in the West Wing. Ginny and Hermione, I thought you could share a room." Hermione gave him a large smile, knowing exactly why they weren't being placed in their usual rooms.

"That sounds great Harry, come on you two," The muggle-born witch said, turning to the Weasleys and urging them to grab their bags. The three of them climbed up the stairs, Hermione and Ron with some difficulty thanks to the crutches, and followed Harry down the hall. Ginny rushed up to walk beside him and started talking animatedly about how excited she was to be here; her smile was a bit too wide in Harry's opinion.

"So, Harry, what have you been doing all summer? I mean, there's only a couple weeks of vacation left before the start of term!" Ginny asked. Harry mentally grimaced, only two and a half weeks until school started. Where had the summer gone? The first month had been nothing short of torment, but the last two weeks had flown by.

"I haven't done much at all. Lots of studying; there wasn't much else to do," Harry answered, telling a half-truth. He glanced at Hermione, but the witch wasn't showing any signs that she knew more than anyone else. Ginny nodded her head and started talking again.

Ron hobbled down the hall after the others, watching Ginny's interaction with Harry. He couldn't help but wince: it was a bit _too_ obvious that Ginny wanted Harry back, now that he wasn't showing signs of running off to find horcruxes. Not that Hermione and Ron would even let the savior go, without them that is. And their present state of injury made it impossible for the three to go together. Although the Golden Trio had never discussed this topic together, it seemed as though Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would find the three back at school with everyone else. Which was fine by Ron, as much as he hated what Voldemort and his followers had done to his friends and family, he felt that searching for parts of the insane wizard's soul could definitely wait another year.

Presently Hermione dropped back to limp along side her red-haired friend.

"What do you think Harry's going to do about _that_?" Hermione asked with a spark in her eye as she nodded towards Ginny's attempts at flirting with the Boy-Who-Lived. Ron just shrugged.

"I love my sister and all, but I think she's taking a bit too far. If Harry wants to get back together with her, it'll be on his own time."

"It doesn't seem as if he's too interested, at the moment," Hermione added, looking at Harry's rather bewildered smile and blushing face. He was the exact image of uncomfortable awkwardness.

"Yeah, his reaction is blood hilarious!" Ron exclaimed, stifling a laugh. Suddenly a flash of pale color caught his eye and Ron jerked his head around looking toward the East Hall. Hermione followed his gaze with a puzzled look on her face. "I could have sworn I saw…ahh, never-mind. Must be all that white at Mungo's; hasn't quite worn off yet," Ron said, wondering if some of the potions he had drank in the past few days had strange side effects. Hallucinations, for example.

Hermione just nodded her head absently, as she had a pretty good idea of what Ron caught sight of. Harry's voice broke the quite moment between the two friends, as well as put a temporary end to Ginny's rapid-fire chattering.

"'Mione, Ginny, here's your room. Ron, you can either sleep across the hall from them, or down at the end of the hall. Whatever you like," Harry said with a small smile. Ron couldn't help but notice that Harry seemed a bit different. More…he couldn't really pin-point it. _Well, he's probably been through hell living by himself for so long, what's it matter if he's a bit…subdued?_ The red-hair wizard chided himself, flashing Harry a smile.

"I'll take the room at the end of the hall. You know how these girls like to talk…" Ron winked at his friend, who gave him a genuine smile, much better than Harry's previous one.

"Sure then. I'll leave you three to unpack. If you're hungry at all, there's some sandwiches in the kitchen to eat. I'm gonna go…grab a couple books from my room. I'll see you," The black-haired Gryffindor said, backing out of the hallway leaving an oblivious Ron, somewhat curious Ginny, and downright suspicious Hermione, who saw right through his lie. _'Books from my room'_, she mocked with a shake of her head, _Just _when_ is he going to tell us about that guest of his?_

Harry knocked lightly on Draco's door to tell him that Hermione and the two Weasleys had arrived. As if he didn't know already.

"Yeah, Harry?" Malfoy asked from inside the room, allowing the Gryffindor admittance. "How are the three of them?"

"Fine. Ginny's already managed to get on my nerves a bit; all that talking. They're unpacking now," Harry answered, taking a seat on the bed and glancing around the room, his eyes to eventually land on Draco, who hadn't looked up from his book.

The Slytherin had cleaned up the potion mess in his room, repaired the cauldron, and was now sitting at his desk reading a book from the library. He had taken a shower recently, and the silver-blonde hair was still glistening wet. Feeling Harry's gaze, Draco looked up and turned to face him, a thin eyebrow raised. Harry blushed and averted his gaze.

"Don't think you need to stay in your room all afternoon. I'm just not sure how to go about telling them that you're here," Harry said, looking back up into silver eyes.

"Just give it some time. You could always ask Hermione for a bit of help. She knows I'm here, right?" He asked rhetorically, getting up and sitting next to Harry on the bed. The Slytherin loosely wrapped an arm around his partner, pulling Harry close and pressing their lips together. After a few moments, Harry squeezed Draco's shoulder and pulled back smiling.

"Well, I'm supposed to be in my room right now, so I'd better go. We should all be downstairs in about ten minutes; if you need it, you can grab my invisibility cloak. You know where it is. But you don't have to use it, I don't mind if you come downstairs and my friends see you or not. It'll be a shock to them, though," The Gryffindor said, standing up and walking to the door. He paused in the frame. "Draco, can I borrow this book?" He asked, holding up a thin potions manual. Draco looked a bit perplexed, but nodded his head.

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Harry, still holding the book he had 'gotten from his room', went downstairs where Hermione was sitting, eating a sandwich. She waved happily when she saw him enter the room and take a seat across from here.

"How have you been, Harry?" She asked.

"Hermione, it's only been two days since I last saw you! I'm no different," Harry said with a chuckle of amusement as he grabbed a sandwich. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"So, when are you planning on telling them about…you-know-who?" She said, lowering her voice to a whisper just in case one of the others came tromping down the stairs. Harry shrugged, taking an overly large bite of sandwich and chewing as slowly as possible. This was a topic he wanted to postpone for a bit. But Hermione was not that easily put off.

"He _is_ here, right?" She pressed. Harry nodded, still chewing. "Well? You have to tell Ginny and Ron sometime, and it would definitely be best if you mentioned it _before_ they ran into Malfoy themselves." Harry nodded; he could only imagine the reaction the Weasley's could have to a confrontation with Draco Malfoy. Swallowing, Harry opened his mouth to speak.

"Well, outright telling them that Draco's here could be just as destructive as Ron and Ginny finding him reading in the library! I don't know how to go about it!" Harry exclaimed a bit too loudly.

"Shhh," Hermione rebuked, stealing another look towards the stairs. "Why don't you ask Mal—Draco," She suggested. Harry rolled his eyes.

"And Draco wanted me to ask you. What a bunch of help you two are," He said sarcastically, taking another bite of his lunch. His friend let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, however you tell them, just make sure they _don't_ know about Draco first. You can trust him not to confront them, correct?"

"Of course. He's not that much of a git," Harry said; Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow. "He's changed, Hermione. He's different." Hermione looked skeptical, although when she started to speak, Ginny bounded into the room and sat down in a chair right next to Harry.

"Who's different?" She asked around a mouthful of bread, turkey and lettuce. Hermione flipped her hair over her shoulder and shrugged.

"Just a kid from school. Small talk; it's not important. So," She started, bent on changing the subject, "Did you get unpacked?" Ginny nodded enthusiastically and turned to Harry just as Ron came in and sat down, propping his crutches against the back of his chair.

"Oh yeah, I got all my stuff stored away. Harry, I think I like the room me and Hermione have now better than the old one in the East Wing," The younger Weasley chattered. Ron and Hermione shared a knowing glance and Harry nodded a bit, trying to move his chair a bit further away from Ginny, who was practically pressed up against him.

Ron, sensing Harry's apprehension, tactfully steered the conversation to quidditch and common matters like that. Soon, all the sandwiches were gone, leaving the four friends to talk without working around full mouths. Hermione told Harry everything about the attack on the Weasley's house, and Ron and Ginny added their perspectives into the story, all the while telling their black-haired friend that it wasn't his fault in any way, but it was easy to see that Harry wasn't taking their words to heart. When that topic had been exhausted, Hermione switched the subject to start of term in a couple of weeks. The Golden Trio would have preferred that this conversation was held away from Ginny's ears, but none of them could think of a polite way to get Ron's sister out of the room, and it was a rather pressing matter that no one wanted to delay any longer.

"So, Harry, term starts in just two and a half weeks; we'll be getting our letters soon!" Hermione began, "It would be incredibly foolish to _not_ go. You see that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I can't find all of the horcruxes without you guys for help, and you can't go until your injuries heal. Which should be in a few weeks. I've been thinking about this for a few days, and I think that we should all go back to school. It can't hurt to wait a year and finish our training at Hogwarts."

"Aren't we risking more attacks by You-Know-Who and his followers?" Ron intervened.

"Yes, but we don't know what they're planning, so we can't prepare for that ahead of time. I think us and the DA—"

"Wait, are you suggesting that we continue the DA?" Ginny broke in, a look of excitement in her eye. Hermione nodded.

"As I was saying, I think this year would be a prime opportunity to get the DA back on its feet. We could all use the extra practice at defensive spells and such. If you agree, I'm sure I could arrange it. I'm sure I could even clear it with McGonagall so we wouldn't have to do it secretly. Then it could be an open club," Hermione suggested, but Harry shook his head.

"It's a good idea, and I agree that this year's a great time for the DA to re-band a bit more solidly, but an open club isn't a good idea."

"I agree with Harry, if it's open to anyone we could be getting all sorts of spies for You-Know-Who. And we don't want to teach the Death Eater children anything that can help the dark side," Ginny said, instantly siding with Harry. Hermione reconsidered, and agreed with the two of them.

"So, it's settled? I'll get right to work contacting McGonagall," She said, ending the conversation with a smile and standing up. "Alright, it's gotten late. Why don't I make dinner? Ron, some help would be appreciated." Ron groaned, but stood as well, giving Harry an apologetic look as his sister practically sat in the boy's lap. Harry grimaced.

"Well then, Harry. I'm sure you and Ginny can find something to do while I'm helping 'Mione." Harry's friend flashed him a wicked smile that Ginny didn't catch, and the Golden Boy sent a rather peeved look at Ron's back. Ginny turned to him, her face a mere two inches from his own.

"You know Harry, since you're not going off to be a hero and save the world this summer, and since you'll be at school in a couple weeks, we could—" By some miracle, Harry found his voice and was able to interrupt her before she could suggest anything. He squirmed a bit uncomfortably under her weight, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen, Ginny, I know that you want to—" But Ginny broke in again.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's perfectly fine," She said, leaving Harry to wonder about what he had been worrying about, besides the fact that Ginny's mouth was an inch from his own and his head was backed up against the chair without escape. _No, no, no, Ginny. Don't, please don't…No, no, NO!_ Harry screamed mentally as Ginny leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss. It wasn't that Ginny wasn't a good kisser, she'd had plenty of practice, but Harry just didn't want it. Her kisses were nothing to Draco's. They didn't even compare. _Someone, anyone, please walk in right now,_ Harry silently pleaded, his hands pushing Ginny's shoulders away.

"No Ginny, we can't—" He protested.

"Yes we can, Harry," Ginny breathed, leaning in once again and pressing herself so fiercely against Harry that the chair tipped over and landed Harry on his back with Ginny flung on top of him. _Come on Ron, 'Mione, _please_ walk in right now,_ Harry pleaded again, struggling against Ginny's lips and hands which seemed to be everywhere at the moment.

"Oh come on, Harry, you know you feel something. You know you like this,"The youngest Weasley cajoled. _Yeah, I feel something alright: complete and utter terror. Get off!_ Finally, Harry managed to find Ginny's shoulders again and was about to push her off a bit more forcefully, when a loud gasp was heard from the doorway. Ginny jerked around, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief, until he realized who's gasp that was. Seconds later, invisible footsteps could be heard storming up the stairs._ Anyone but him. Dammit. Shit. _He sat upright quickly, and shoved a shocked Ginny away from him roughly, sliding her hands out of his shirt.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. We _can't_," He said in parting, and rushed out of the room, leaving Ginny to stare at him in confusion from her position on the ground. When he was in the East Wing, he called out to Draco.

"Draco, listen, it's not what it looks like! I promise," He said, opening the door to Draco's room. But it snapped shut in his face, bumping his forehead hard enough to land him on the ground. In frustration, he tried the door again, but Malfoy had placed a strong locking charm on it. It would take a fairly complex bit of magic on his part to get past it, if he could. Plus, he didn't want to risk being caught by the Ministry. So, he did the only thing he could: he called Kreacher.

"Kreacher," He spoke to the hallway, and immediately the filthy elf appeared in front of him, obviously not happy at being summoned. "Kreacher, I order you to open that door," He commanded, pointing to Draco's door. Being a house elf, Kreacher had access to every room in his master's house, and could bypass any charm that prevented entry.

"But that is Master Malfoy's room," The house elf protested.

"Shut up and open it, now," Harry ordered again, becoming even more frustrated. Reluctantly Kreacher moved over to the door and placed both hands on it. The door sprang open and Harry slipped into the room quickly, before Draco had time to shut him out again. The Slytherin was staring out the window, his back turned to the door, and he didn't acknowledge Harry's presence.

"Draco, you don't honestly think that I—" Harry started.

"Think what? That you still enjoy snogging Weaslett? You made that a bit obvious back there," Draco snapped, still not turning around.

"Draco, I—" Sensing an explosion, Harry quickly cast a silencing charm at the door so their conversation remained private.

"Potter, what was I? Just something to screw around with until you could see Miss Weasley again? Just another victim of one of your pranks? 'Oh, let's get Malfoy to fall for you, and mess with him a bit, and then forget about all of it.' Yeah, that sounds like a good plan, Potter. A nice way to get back at me for plotting the death of your precious Dumbledore," Malfoy yelled, turning around and facing Harry so the Gryffindor could see the tears shimmering in Draco's eyes. He moved a step towards the Slytherin, but the blonde turned away again. "Get out, Potter. Go back to Ginny."

"Draco, I did NOT initiate _that_!" Harry yelled, finally loosing control of his temper, "It's not my fault that Ginny wants me back, okay? _I_ don't want _her_, _she_ wants_ me_! Can't you get that? I wasn't screwing around with you, Draco. I still stand by everything that I said to you; I meant _everything_ I said. I still like you, and I'm not about to run off with Ginny any time soon. Not after _that_."

"You did a good job off letting her know that down there," Draco retorted darkly.

"What was I suppose to do? Tell her that I like you—"

"Shut up and get out, Potter. And stop calling me Draco," Malfoy commanded.

"Well, it's your name, isn't it?" Harry snapped, his voice dripping venom. Suddenly Harry was slammed back into the door, it opened, and the Golden Boy was flung into the hall, landing painfully on his side. All while Draco simply stood by the window, not even facing the Gryffindor. The door slammed shut.

Ginny had come running up the stairs when she heard the door slam for the first time, and sat down next to Harry, helping him up.

"Are you okay Harry? Who, or what, is in there? What's going on?" She pressed, her hand gripping his arm.

"Get off me Ginny, and leave me alone. Tell 'Mione I won't be at dinner," Harry said snapped, brushing his friend off a bit roughly and walking down the hall. The red-haired girl stared after Harry until he walked out of the hall and she heard the door to his room slam. Slowly, she walked downstairs to the kitchen to relay everything to Hermione and Ron. _Something's not right here…_

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Well, that probably wasn't the 'interaction' you were thinking of, or hoping for…but…I just _had_ to put a love triangle in there somewhere. It'll clear up…in a bit. For now, thanks for your patience, and thanks for reading.

Comment away por favor!

-The Wykkyd


	15. Death Eater In The House

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

I got quite a few reviews for the last chapter, so I can't write everyone individual responses. I hope you don't mind too much! Thanks for taking the time to comment thought, I still love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter 15 of **Catalyst**- Death Eater In The House

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Harry woke up the next morning with his head in a book on his desk. Wearily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes from underneath his glasses, which had been pressing uncomfortably into his nose. To say that nothing in his life was going right that week wasn't at all reality. But it was the way he felt. Several days ago the Weasleys, Hermione and Tonks had been hospitalized, although thanks to partial magical healing, most of them were alright. Then he moved with Draco to Grimmauld Place, and he did miss his small apartment a bit. Plus, sleeping in the same bed that Sirius had slept in still seemed depressing to him. Then Draco had seen him and Ginny snogging in the kitchen, just a day after Harry confessed his true feelings for the Slytherin. That, out of all the drastic events that had taken place over the last few days, seemed by far the worst. He had unknowingly grown accustomed to Draco's presence near him. He had grown used to their conversations, their moments of comfortable silence, Draco's snappy comments, his dry wit and dark humor. And now, cursed with the knowledge that Draco wouldn't be talking to him for at least the whole day no matter what Harry did, the day just didn't seem worth it. He didn't really want to get up and leave the room.

A sharp rap forced his depressing thoughts away as the door opened and Hermione stepped into the room, crutches under her arms, looking cheerful.

"Morning Harry, how're you?" She greeted, crossing the room and throwing the curtains open to reveal a sunny day. Harry groaned and lay his head back down on the desk. "Come on, Harry, get up. It's almost noon anyway; Ron, Ginny and I have already had breakfast."

"I don't want any breakfast," Harry mumbled, quite truthfully. This caught Hermione's attention.

"Harry, you skipped dinner last night, and now you don't want breakfast? What's wrong?" She asked softly, crouching down next to Harry as best she could. The black-haired Gryffindor just shrugged. "Something's wrong, Harry. You're never like this," Hermione paused slightly, then spoke again, "Does Malfoy have anything to do with this?" Harry nodded reluctantly and his friend gently rubbed his back. "Whatever he said didn't mean anything. It'll pass. You have to remember that no matter how much he's changed, he's still Malfoy. He's bound to start spewing insults if he gets the chance."

Harry would have laughed if he wasn't feeling so miserable. In truth, what Draco had said _did_ mean something, and even if he could be insulting at times, he _had_ changed. Changed as in one-eighty degree turnaround. But Hermione would have to find that out for herself. Once again, Harry shook his head.

"It's not quite like that, Hermione. But thanks anyway. I'll be down in a minute, just let me get changed," Harry said, standing up and walking over to his dresser, while giving Hermione a smile. She smiled in return and left the room; Harry could hear her yelling to Ron, something about getting 'Harry's plate ready'. With a sigh he looked through his clothes, trying to find something suitable to wear. _Draco's rubbing off on me_, he thought wryly as he pulled out a grey shirt with a metallic green snake on the front. It was almost the same as the shirt Draco had got when the two of them had gone shopping together. Harry grabbed a pair of torn jeans that hung low off his hips and ran his fingers through his hair: the closest it ever came to seeing a brush nowadays. With a glance in the mirror, Harry left his room and went downstairs into the kitchen where Ginny handed him a plate of eggs, toast and bacon which really didn't look that appealing this morning.

"'Morning Harry, you're up a bit late," Ron commented around a mouthful of eggs. Harry sat down at the table and shrugged.

"Late night," He said in excuse. Hermione glared.

"You went to bed early last night," She commented accusingly.

"No. I was in my room early last night, I didn't go to bed early. Can we drop it now?" The black-haired teen asked, a bit annoyed. Did it really matter when he went to bed last night? Nevertheless, the topic wasn't pressed any further, and instead Ginny wondered what the group should do that day. Ron suggested a chess tournament, but no one really liked that idea; Ginny suggested they go up to the attic and look through the oddities up there, but no one really went for that idea either; Hermione was all for studying all day in the library and she made it clear that that was what she would be doing, regardless of the others' activities. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"Actually, I was thinking of spending time in the library too; there are some pretty interesting books in there, actually." Ron looked completely baffled, and Hermione had a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Well, at least one of you has some sense in your head. What are you planning to research Harry?" Hermione asked, turning expectantly to her friend.

"Er…I'm not really sure. I have a few things in mind though."

"Harry, are you insane? You're sentencing yourself to spend the day in the _library_? Am I hearing right?" Ron asked in shock. Harry laughed.

"No, I seriously have some things I want to look into Ron. I'll play a game of chess with you today though, promise," He compromised.

"Well, I think I'll spend the day with you two in the library then," Ginny decided. Ron stood up and threw his hands in the air.

"Has the whole world gone mental?" He cried and walked into the living room to grab his chess set. With a quick charm, the black players lined up, the queen ordering them around. Ron took the white set and put his chess face on; one of complete concentration. Harry stood up and set his plate in the sink; he could do the dishes later. Right now he wanted to go talk to Draco.

"Thanks for breakfast you guys, I'm gonna go take a shower. See you in a bit."

------------

"Draco? I know you're in there. Please let me in, I need to talk to you," Harry pleaded, standing directly outside of the Slytherin's room.

"Well, I don't want to talk. Go away." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, that's really mature, Draco," He quipped sarcastically.

"And having a fling with your ex-girlfriend while leading me on is?" Malfoy yelled through the door.

"There is _nothing_ going on between me and Ginny! Why can't you get that?" Harry could hear Draco laughing from in the room.

"I don't know, Potter…maybe because I saw you _snogging_ her on the _floor_ last night?"

"You're being a stubborn git, you know that?"

"And you're being a bastard; go away!" Draco yelled.

"I'm _trying_ to work this out, but if you want it to stay this way, FINE!" Harry shouted in return, not caring if the trio downstairs heard his last sentence. He heard something shatter against the door and stormed off into his room to take the intended shower. _Damn Malfoy back to where he came from,_ Harry thought menacingly as he stripped off his clothes, throwing them violently across the room.

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"I'm _trying _to work this out, but if you want it to stay this way, FINE!" Harry yelled from out in the hall. In a rage, Draco picked up the nearest breakable item in his reach, and flung it at the door with all his might. The sound of shattered glass wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped.

"Damn Potter! Damn Potter and his filthy girlfriend," Draco said to no one in particular, slamming the book he had been attempting to read shut with a snap. _Damn Potter,_ he thought again, just for good measure. Yet as much as he hated Harry at the moment, whether for kissing Ginny, or leading him on, he still couldn't bring himself to _really_ hate him. It was more like a passing fury, which would most likely cool off in several days. Still, until then, he could throw as many things as he wanted at Harry.

If he had been at Hogwarts, and this had taken place last year, his reaction would have been much calmer; Harry would never had known what he was feeling. Of course, way too much had changed. Harry knew that he was angry, and if the Gryffindor wasn't so angry himself, he would figure out that Draco wasn't so angry and that both of them could work this out eventually. But of course, both boys had a nasty temper, and it could be a while before they figured everything, or anything, out.

In the meantime Draco dropped his head in his hands and moaned. _Harry…dammit Harry… And your birthday's tomorrow. Why did I have to freak out like that? I should have analyzed the situation before jumping to conclusions,_ Malfoy thought, the logical and reasonable part of his brain taking over. _Harry couldn't cheat on Ginny with me, he's too Gryffindor for that. And he wouldn't hook up with Ginny again behind my back. No, he wasn't lying to me when he said that he didn't initiate…_that_. Dammit! And now he's angry at me…and this is just completely screwed up._

Draco moaned again, because it was a quieter substitute for screaming his frustration out, even if it wasn't as rewarding. Even if he was a little annoyed with Harry at the moment, alright, a bit more than annoyed, he still owed him a birthday present. Of course, he was getting Remus' help with that one.

-----------

Hermione, Ron and Ginny stared in shock as a door slammed shut in the East Wing, and moments later a certain male Gryffindor came fuming down the hall in the direction of his room.

"I have a feeling that us three aren't the only guests staying with Harry," Ginny ventured after a pregnant silence between the three.

"Yes, I have a feeling you are quite right, actually," Hermione added, laughing mentally because she knew who this mystery guest was, but also a bit worried because Harry seemed really upset.

"What! And Harry didn't _tell_ us?" Ron asked incredulously. Hermione shrugged.

"Well, maybe this guest isn't someone we're normally comfortable around," The muggle-born witch suggested lightly. Ginny gave her a funny look.

"What's that suppose to mean? That Harry's been housing Death Eaters for the last month?" She asked. Hermione almost slapped herself; perhaps her hint had been a little too helpful.

"Well, not necessarily. Although if he _is_, I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

"You've got to be joking. Both of you. There is _no way_ that Harry is letting Death Eaters stay here, and if he is for some crazy reason, there is _no way_ that he has a good excuse for it. But I still don't get why he wouldn't tell us about this person. We've been here for twenty-four hours!" Ron pondered, refusing to further consider Hermione's words.

"Like I said, Ron, maybe this person is just not someone we usually hang out with. We don't know anything at this point, so why don't we wait until Harry comes back from the shower," Hermione suggested, trying to cut the conversation off before Ginny and Ron speculated too far. But Ron wouldn't have that.

"Or we could just go up there and see who it is," Ron said, already standing up from his chessboard. Hermione grabbed his wrist.

"No! I mean, you really shouldn't. If Harry doesn't think we're ready to know who it is yet, then we should wait until he tells us," The brown-haired witch said. _Harry, come back soon! They're about to figure it…_

"You know who it is, don't you Hermione?" Ginny asked, also rising out of her chair.

"Of course I don't, what makes you say that?"

"Hermione, you're the worst liar _ever_. That factors into the equation a bit, I suppose," Ron said with a proud smirk on his face. Hermione let a rather guilty look spread over her face. _Harry's going to kill me…_

"Fine. I do know who's here. Harry told me in a letter about two weeks ago. This guest was staying with Harry at his apartment even before the two of them came here."

"So…are you going to tell us who this guest is? Or do we have to go up there and find out for ourselves?" Ron pressed, not sure whether to be hurt that Hermione didn't tell him, or nervous about this whole situation in general. When Ron asked his question, a determined look sparked into Hermione's brown eyes.

"No, I will not tell you. And you will _not_ go up there to find out who is here, either. If you try I'll immobilize you two faster than you can pull out your wands. So don't try anything. Now, sit back down, both of you, and we will all wait for Harry. Then we can resume this conversation." There was a tone of finality in her voice that neither Weasley child wanted to argue with, so they sat down and waited, all the while pestering Hermione with questions which she blatantly ignored.

To the three of them, it seemed as if Harry took _ages_ to shower and come back downstairs. As soon as he saw them sitting there, Hermione reading a book, and Ron and Ginny still quizzing her, he understood. They had definitely heard him yelling at Draco._ Damn_. _There's no getting out of this one_, Harry thought as he sat down next to Ron with a small, rather guilty smile.

"Hello mates, what are you doing?" He asked innocently, receiving glares from his red-haired friends and a pointed look from Hermione. "So…" He started, unsure of what to say.

"Well, are you going to tell us who your little roommate is up there?" Ron asked a bit crossly.

"First off, he's not my roommate, and second, when I tell you, please try and not go completely mental."

"Are you going to give us a reason to?" Ginny asked, a little wary. Just who _was_ this guest?

"Sort of; yes. Look, I don't really know how to go about this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. About two weeks ago someone came to my door needing help. Ever since then, he's been staying with me. That someone upstairs is a very different…Draco Malfoy." Harry bit his lip and braced himself.

"Harry—" Hermione started, but she was interrupted by the other two.

"WHAT?"

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Oh, explosion in Grimmuald Place! Hope you liked the chapter!

Thank you SO much to all of you who took the time to review the last chapter!

-The Wykkyd


	16. Of Explanations and Apologies

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

I've been getting a fantastic amount of wonderful reviews from you all, so I can't write everyone individual responses. I hope you don't mind too much! Thanks for taking the time to comment though, I still **love** to hear your thoughts!

Here's a long-ish chapter to make up for the short-ish chapter last time!

Chapter 16 of **Catalyst**- Of Explanations and Apologies

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"What the _hell_, Harry?" Ron gaped, jumping at once to his feet.

"Were you thinking at all? Are you insane?" Ginny yelled.

"Guys—" Harry tried to cut in.

"Harry, that's just completely foolish! I don't think you've ever pulled something so stupid before!" Ginny wailed.

"I don't believe it. There is a Death Eater… sleeping in the East Wing. He's going to kill us all!"

Harry smiled a bit at Ron's recent comment, although a feeling of hopelessness was forming in his stomach. Wisely he chose not to mention him and Draco's interesting relationship, which, at the moment, wasn't much. Still, as frustrated as he was with Draco's stubbornness, he knew that he more annoyed then truly angry. He just hoped Draco wasn't as furious as he was portraying himself to be. Harry let Ron and Ginny rant for a full five minutes before he cut in.

"Please, just _listen_ to me," He asked, hoping that the red-heads would calm down a bit. No such luck.

"Not until that Death Eater is out of this house!" Ginny yelled, nodding her head towards the East Wing where Draco's bedroom was.

"No. Draco isn't going anywhere. Sit down and listen to me." Begrudgingly, both Weasley's sat down and politely turned their attention to Harry, who took a deep breath and began. "Draco showed up at my apartment after being…mistreated, by the Death Eaters, his father, and Voldemort…"

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Draco smiled a bit to himself when he heard confused and shocked yelling coming from downstairs. Evidently Harry had told them the details about the current housing situation. And by the sound of it, neither Weasley was taking it well. Of course, what was to be expected? They were both pig-headed Weasleys as far as he knew, and he didn't intend to change his opinion any time soon. He might have accepted Harry, but Harry was, well, _Harry_. But that didn't mean he had to accept Potter's friends. After several minutes of chaos from the living room, things quieted down a bit, and Draco could only assume that Harry was doing a bit of explaining. _He better not explain too much_, Malfoy thought. It occurred to him how open he was around Harry, compared to how he usually was. It was nice to be able to let your guard down once and a while, show what you were feeling. But he couldn't be so relaxed around the Weasleys and Hermione. _Damn Granger and the Weasels,_ Malfoy thought a bit angrily, he could tell he had gotten far too comfortable with his masks and barriers down. It would be a bit challenging to build them back up.

Draco smirked to himself as he stood up and checked his appearance in the full-length mirror before exiting his room. He looked just as he did when Harry's friends had last seen him in Hogwarts. His black eye had healed completely, all bruises on his neck had faded except to the keenest of observers; even his back and ribcage had healed, although a jolt such as Moody gave him the other day would still hurt a bit.

Malfoy strode down the hall regally, as if he owned the place instead of Harry, and put an emotionless face on. The four Gryffindors down-stairs didn't notice him until he was standing right next to the couch they were all seated on. _Well, if Harry's friends didn't believe him at first, they do now,_ He thought wryly.

"Why, if it isn't Potter's little friends, the Weasels and Granger," He drawled in a voice that so reminded him of his father he almost cringed. Harry was looking at him with angry, but disappointed eyes. Draco wasn't holding to his promise of being civil to Hermione, Ron and Ginny. At the moment, the three guests were staring at Draco as if he was a ghost, so he calmly sat down in a chair away from them, but not too far away.

"Malfoy, you _had_ to come down now?" Harry spat, glaring at the Slytherin.

"Well, you're not going to keep me shut up in that room until I rot, are you?" Draco said.

"Maybe I should," Harry retorted, momentarily forgetting his other three friends staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

"Oh, I don't think you want _another_ death on your hands, you see—" Draco caught himself too late. He had completely crossed the line with that comment. Harry didn't deserve that at all.

"At least I don't go around kissing homicidal maniac's feet!" The black-haired Gryffindor shouted, his eyes showing both hurt and fury. Draco felt himself getting truly angry as well; so Harry hadn't deserved his last comment, but Draco didn't deserve to be accused of kissing Voldemort's feet after everything he had done in the last month and a half.

"Well, I'd say that's better than hiding for a summer from so-called 'homicidal maniac," Malfoy quipped sharply.

"Yeah, hiding _you_," Harry said, a rather Malfoy-influenced smirk sliding across his face. Draco just laughed.

"Your hero complex will be the death of you, _Potter_," He snapped, then turned his eyes to the onlookers. "I don't think I've ever seen such amazing goldfish imitations. Have you been practicing?" Ron turned an angry red.

"You didn't waste time opening your big mouth, Malfoy," The angry boy cried. The blonde-haired Slytherin just laughed quietly, shaking his head. Ron Weasley would never change. Hermione saw this as a good time to intervene, and she stood up and walked over to Draco, holding out her hand.

"Hello Draco, it's…good to see you and Harry haven't ripped each other's head off yet," She proclaimed, not wanting to say "It's good to see you again."

"Hello Granger. I don't think Potter _could_ rip my head off if he tried," He said, not taking the offered hand.

"Want to give me a chance, Malfoy?" Harry spoke up, raising an eyebrow. Draco sneered his response and got up, a haughty look on his face. With a glare sent in Harry's direction that had nothing to do with their recent exchange of insults, he stormed into the kitchen to get something to eat. Hermione let out a very disapproving noise and looked at Harry, who was glaring at Malfoy's retreating back.

"If I'm correct, you mentioned that he had…changed. I'm sorry Harry, but I really don't see it," She commented with a sigh. Harry just shook his head and shrugged as a sad look passed over his face.

For the rest of the day Hermione observed Harry and Draco's interaction, stunned by the viciousness of their fights, which were among the worst she had witnessed between the two. But something was off about their behavior. Harry would always grow quiet after fighting with Draco, as if he was taking the words spat between the two of them to heart, while Draco would often leave the room to seclude himself in his bedroom or the library.

Malfoy didn't, of course, attend lunch or dinner that day, and Hermione was quite glad. Neither meal would have been a pleasant affair with Harry and Draco at each other's throats. But every time the boys passed by each other, there were always harsh words, accusations, and insults exchanged. Hermione had managed to keep Ron and Ginny out of Harry and Malfoy's spats, but only just. _This house will soon be a war zone if Harry and Malfoy keep fighting like this_, Hermione thought just after dinner. She could hear shouts coming from upstairs, which wasn't anything new at this point.

"I already _told_ you! You're just too thick to _understand_!" Hermione glanced up from her book, wondering what the two had found to argue about now.

"Well,_ excuse me_ if I didn't just_ see_ you at it! Just forget everything, I'm over it!" Unmistakably Draco's voice, different from the cold drawl he normally spoke in though. He sounded genuinely angry, as if he wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Do you really mean that?" Harry asked, although Hermione had to strain her ears to hear because her friend had lowered his voice.

"Y—yes. No—maybe. Hell, I don't know. Just leave me _alone_!" Now Hermione was really curious as to what the two rivals were shouting over. This argument was different from the others that day; it seemed to actually be _about_ something.

"I wasn't the one who slammed me into the wall, Malfoy, why don't you try and leave me alone for a change."

"With pleasure," Draco sneered, and the eavesdropping witch could picture the look on his face. _And tomorrow's Harry's birthday,_ She thought with dismay. Her, Ron and Ginny had planned a small party, with only the three of them, Remus, George and Tonks, who would be a surprise to Harry because he didn't know that she was in a condition to leave the hospital yet. Draco Malfoy was a bit of a problem, because she didn't want any fights happening on Harry's birthday. _How did he manage with that arrogant, spoiled brat in his own house for two weeks?_ She wondered, finally going back to her book with a shake of her head.

----------------------------

But Hermione's hopes of a conflict-free day for everyone were soon crushed when she was woken up by Harry and Draco screaming at each other in the morning. Ron was out in bed in a flash, running down the hall to Harry. The peace-keeping witch didn't even bother to try and convince Ron to stay out of it: the teenaged boy had already done so for a day. Soon after, she heard her red-haired friend's shouts mixed in along with Malfoy's and Harry's. _Happy Birthday, Harry_.

Breakfast found the three Gryffindors—Hermione was trying to stay out of this particular argument—and the Slytherin mid-battle, in which Malfoy was easily holding his own, although the precious guard on his emotions was beginning to slip. It was a little odd, Hermione thought, that Malfoy seemed a bit less bottled-up and emotionless as he did while at school. It was almost as if he didn't care as much if people knew what he was feeling.

"Malfoy, just shove your wand up your arse and go back to your room!" Ginny commanded, finally fed up with all the chaos and yelling.

"Really Harry, I don't know how you survived this brainless git for two weeks without us here!" Ron said, turning to the black-haired Gryffindor who had an odd expression on. Ginny was about to ask if he was alright when Malfoy spoke up again, his expression the exact same as Harry's.

"Actually, things were going a bit better then this before the _Weasels_ came," Draco snapped, sending a scathing look in Ginny's direction. "You know, I used to think that the only thing you lot had to your name was that shack you call a house, but it looks like you don't even have that anymore." The Slytherin finished, he really had been trying to keep the pointless arguments between himself and Harry, but the Weasleys were just too damn nosey. Really, all the yelling at Harry had relived himself of the hurt that the Gryffindor had instilled in him, even though it wasn't intentional, it was sort of like venting. Although, he still missed his calm, rational talks with Harry; he missed them _a lot_.

Draco's last remark caught Hermione's attention, and with a mental sigh, she launched herself into the fray.

"Your father was there Malfoy. You know that? I saw the flash of white hair just before he sent a curse in my direction. I recognized his eyes as well," She said, her voice pure venom. Draco tried hard not to let her words get to him.

"I saw that hair too, Hermione. You know, at first I thought it actually was Malfoy Junior here, but I guess I didn't pay to much attention. Now though…are you _sure_ that you weren't there? Did you get away from Harry's place to come help destroy ours? Was it _you_ who put both my parents in comas? I suppose you would have left with the others, and then gone back to Harry's for the rest of the night, huh? Oh yeah, 'just another small Death Eater thing, no big deal Harry. I just had to go and raid your best mate's house'," Ron mocked, anger flooding through him. Hermione glanced at Harry, who had been sitting on the couch watching this exchange with caution. Now, he was staring at Draco, his face ashen. Suddenly, the green-eyed boy stood up, his book falling to the floor carelessly, and ran out of the room. The resounding _crack_ of his door slamming shut was heard several seconds later. Hermione made to stand up and go after Harry, along with Ginny and Draco. The Slytherin boy was almost to the stairs when Ron grabbed his arm and spun him around. Hermione stopped, worried that the two might seriously hurt each other, although Ginny brushed right past them and all but flew up the stairs in pursuit of Harry.

"You aren't going _near_ Harry, understand _Malfoy_? Don't you ever think about how much you've hurt him over the years? Don't you ever know when to _stop_?" Ron yelled. Draco opened his mouth to defend himself, but was stopped by the Weasel's fist. White-hot pain flared in his nose, and spots danced in front of his eyes for several moments as he fell back into the railing, clutching it for support. Recovering himself just a bit, Draco snarled at Ron and spat the blood out of his mouth at the red-haired boy's feet. Then he turned and ran up the stairs.

Ginny had stopped in the hall in time to see Ron deliver a bone-shattering punch to Malfoy's nose, and then see the injured Slytherin stagger back into the railing. Now, said Slytherin came rushing down the hall towards her, but she blocked his way.

"Draco, you're not going in there. Ron's right, you've hurt Harry enough," She said, a defiant and angry look in her eyes. Draco snarled.

"Get out of my way, _Weasley_, or I just might cause you _more_ memory loss. Only this time, it won't be temporary," Malfoy spat heatedly. Anger still rang in his ears, but he heard Ron's footsteps thundering down the hall. Draco spun around, his wand drawn and pointed right at the other boy's neck. Hermione thought this was a good time to intercede.

"Stop it. Everyone. Draco, we need to get your nose fixed, it's dripping blood—"

"Shut up, Granger. I have to see Harry, _now_," Draco yelled, interrupting the brown-haired witch rather rudely.

"You're not going _anywhere_, Malfoy. Especially not near Harry," Ginny snapped. Draco lowered his wand and turned to face her in one graceful, fluid movement that gave him the air of a predator stalking it's prey.

"Oh? Watch me," He uttered in a dangerously soft voice. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way. NOW!" He yelled, shoving Ginny out of his way and onto the floor.

"If anyone's going in there, it's going to be me. _I'm_ his girlfriend," Ginny hissed, pushing herself off the floor to confront Draco once again.

"YOU ARE _NOT_ HIS GIRLFRIEND! Now MOVE!" Malfoy yelled in blind rage, shoving past the younger girl and rushing to Harry's door. He turned around and cast a quick blocking spell that kept anyone from getting close enough to prevent him from talking to Harry. "Harry? Open the door," He said softly, all traces of anger gone. The three bystanders stood still, listening intently. There was no answer to Draco's request. "Harry, I don't want to have to shatter this door like I did last time. It's too nice a door. But, if you don't open it, I'll blast it open. You know I will."

Hermione, Ginny and Ron all glanced at each other, obvious confusion on their faces.

"Harry. Open the damn door right now," Draco said, his voice taking on a commanding edge. "Dammit Harry! Do _not_ make destroy this door." The Slytherin waited for several moments, and then took out his wand with a sigh. The three onlookers grimaced and braced themselves. And then Harry opened the door.

It wasn't really 'opening the door'. More like turning the handle so it would come unlocked, and whisking away the locking charm that further bound it. So when Draco entered the room, he found Harry on his bed, face down in the red pillows. With a glare sent in the Weasley's and Hermione's direction that said their argument was _not_ over, Draco shut the door with a snap and drifted over to Harry.

"Harry, do you honestly believe that I was _there_ that night? I was sleeping right next to you in your bed," Draco said, sounding a bit hurt, but getting straight to the point. Nevertheless, he pressed a pale hand to Harry's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you were there, I just…I don't know. For a second I might have thought about it, and everything else sort of—"

"It's alright Harry. I don't really mind that much anyway. But I don't want this to keep happening, with Granger and Wealsey getting my back up. I hate them reminding me of everything that I've done; I see it all at night, in my dreams. I don't want to keep arguing with them like this. Plus, I'm getting sick of the Weaslette practically trying to ravish you in—" Harry blushed.

"Draco, you know that I'm not 'with' her. I used to be. I'm not anymore. She just needs to figure that out, it's only been a little over a month," Harry said, his face still pressed slightly into the pillow.

"Tell her to figure it out faster. I would myself, but I just about threw her over the railing just the other minute, so I don't think that'd be a good idea," Draco said, wiping some of the blood of his face and onto his robes. His nose was _still_ bleeding, and it hurt. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he was starting to feel a bit nauseous and little, although very sharp, jolts of pain were creeping up the ridge of his nose. At Draco's sudden silence, Harry lifted his head from the pillow and caught side of Malfoy's face, dripping with blood and carrying a very deformed nose.

"Bloody hell Draco, what did Ron do?" Harry cried, jumping off the bed and running to go get a towel from the bathroom. When he came back, Harry gently pressed the white cloth around Draco's nose, trying to absorb some of the blood.

"Ahh, how'd you figure it was Weasley?" Draco said, his voice a bit muffled by the towel and pinched from pain.

"It'd take quite a bit for Ginny or 'Mione to punch you that hard. Come on, I'll get Hermione to fix your nose. You don't want to have a crooked nose for the rest of your life, do you?" Harry joked playfully, pulling Draco to his feet.

"No, as a matter of fact I don't. But she better not make it worse," Draco grumbled as he took a few steps towards the door. He stopped when his head spun a bit, no doubt from the sudden loss of blood, and braced himself against the desk. Harry slid an arm around his waist to keep him supported and kissed his neck lightly before pulling Draco to the door and opening it to find three teenagers still standing in the hall.

"Hi guys," Harry started cheerfully, his arm still around Malfoy in a rather protective and possessive way. "Hermione, can you please fix Draco's nose?"

After another second of standing there quite shocked, Hermione was startled into action and walked up to Draco, pointing her wand millimeters from his nose.

"_Episkey_" She whispered, and immediately Malfoy's nose straightened out and stopped bleeding. With another wave of her wand all the blood on his face disappeared, although his robes were still spattered with it. Harry flashed her a grateful smile and tugged Draco back into his room.

"We need to talk, Draco. I want to sort all of this out right now," Harry said, shutting the bedroom door and pushing Draco towards a chair.

"You had to pick a time when I'm still suffering from a recently-healed broken nose," Malfoy exclaimed, yet sat down gracefully in the chair anyway. Harry sat down on the end of the bed.

Meanwhile, Hermione was trying to get the silencing charm off of the bedroom door so the three friends could hear what Draco and Harry were talking about.

"What is all this? Why did Harry have his arm around Malfoy? Why isn't he completely pissed off at him like he darn well should be?" Ron said rather loudly. Ginny voiced agreement with her brother, but Hermione remained silent, still working on dispersing the silencing charm. After several tries, she found that by standing about six inches away from the door and crouched down to the level of the doorknob, she could make out their conversation; the wizard's equivalent of hacking. Her inner conscience told her that eavesdropping on a private conversation was not a very friend-like thing to do, but she pushed that out of her head, replacing it with the facts that she was worried about Harry. What was Malfoy doing in there? _Something is going on here! I just can't figure it out,_ she thought just before Harry's voice drifted into her ears.

"Draco, let's stop fighting, please. Everything was fine before my friends came; I just wish all of you could get along." Hermione's eyes widened. So all the spats between Harry and Draco never happened when her and the Weasleys weren't there?

"I'm _trying_, Harry, for you; you know I am. But if every time I come down the stairs Ron starts shouting at me, what am I going to do? I don't want to be labeled a Death Eater by _anyone_ anymore. I'm _not_! And _no one_ believes me," Draco said miserably.

"Draco, _I_ believe you. Don't worry about them, they'll figure it out soon enough. Course, it would help if you would take that glamour off your arm," Harry said and Hermione jerked away from the door, deep in thought._ I am going to figure out what is going on between those two,_ she swore to herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had already figured it out, yet the far greater logical part of her brain had quickly pushed the idea away.

"Come on you two. Let's just let them sort whatever they need to out," Hermione said, walking past them and heading downstairs.

"What is _with_ them? They've been at each others throats for the last couple of days, and now they're acting like…friends!" Ginny exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "I mean, I still can't believe that Harry is letting _Draco Malfoy_, Death Eater Prodigy, stay here with all of us." Hermione thought back to what she had overheard. _"I don't want to be labeled a Death Eater by anyone anymore…"_

"You know Ginny, technically, Harry is letting _us_ stay here with him _and_ Draco. Not the other way around. I think Draco's really trying to call a truce of sorts. He hasn't been throwing un-provoked insults at us like he did at school, if you two would take the time to notice," Hermione said pointedly, turning around at the bottom of the staircase to face her two friends.

"WHAT? You can't possibly be saying that _Malfoy_ wants to be friends with us?" Ron said incredulously. Hermione glared at him.

"Really, Ron. I don't think we'll ever have the friendship with _Draco_ that Harry has—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Ginny spoke up, holding out a hand, "Are you saying that Harry and Malfoy already _are_ friends? You can't be serious. I mean, look at how the two of them were acting towards each other the last couple of days!"

"Look at how they're acting _now_!" Hermione retorted, waving her hand in the direction of Harry's room.

"You mean like two insane boys?" Ginny fired back.

"No, like _friends_." _Maybe more…oh,_ Hermione's eyes widened and she took a small step back. _They _can't_ be…it's impossible. But on the other hand…_ A small smile crept onto her face. Everything fit. Ginny coming on to Harry just as they got here, snogging him in plain view of Malfoy…after that, the two boys could hardly look each other in the eye without yelling at the other…today, Malfoy yelling at Ginny that she was 'not Harry's girlfriend'. _Well, that's possessive if I've ever heard it. But that's just _impossible!_ How could they have that kind of relationship after everything that's happened? That wouldn't be safe for Harry! How could he be so stupid?_

"Oy! Hermione? You have this really odd look on your face you know, like when you're thinking way too hard," Ron pointed out, bringing the witch out of her reverie.

"Ahh, yes. I was just thinking," She flashed them a brilliant smile. "Let's start making dinner shall we? I'm sure those two will be down…shortly. Plus, Remus and Tonks should be here soon for Harry's surprise party." Without further explanation she walked briskly into the kitchen, leaving the two Weasley's to follow her a bit mystified.

--------------------------------

"They _can't_ know about this," Draco said, exposing his Mark as he got up from his chair to lay down on the bed with a sigh. "Just tell them about us, Harry. Then we wouldn't have to deal with the Weaslette sucking your face off," Draco finished, his tone a bit jealous.

"Don't call her that, Draco. Look, if I told them… well, _everyone_ would find out. Voldemort's spies would get news of it. There's no way Ginny would be able to keep her mouth shut to certain people, even if she wasn't completely jealous of you," Harry said with a smirk, dropping back onto his elbow and pulling Draco to him. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you after you saw Ginny jump me. I shouldn't have gotten so defensive; you had every right to yell at me." Draco sighed and relaxed into his new position pressed against Harry.

"No, I really shouldn't have yelled at you. It was a bit impulsive; I didn't even think the situation through," The Slytherin whispered softly, turning over so he was facing Harry. "I promise to stop yelling at you if you promise not to snap at me?" Harry smiled broadly and pressed his lips to Draco's in a passionate kiss, momentarily forgetting about everything except for the serene boy in front of him.

"I promise," He whispered, pulling away just enough whisper in Malfoy's ear. "Now, go wash your mouth out, you taste like blood," Harry added with a playful smile. Draco smirked, pushed Harry off of him and stood up to walk into the bathroom. Suddenly Harry grabbed his wrist.

"I'm going to tell them. Alright? Give me a couple of days to sort out how I'm going to do it, but I'll tell them," He said, a determined spark in his eye that Draco loved. The blonde-haired boy kissed Harry briefly and flashed him the smile that he saved just for the Gryffindor, then turned to the bathroom. Harry let him go, brining a hand to his lips and smiling a bit to himself. With Ginny, the first kiss had been magic, but after that there wasn't much to them. But _every_ kiss from Draco seemed just as amazing as the first _real_ kiss that had taken place between them.

_Maybe this birthday isn't turning out as bad as I predicted_, he thought with a wry smile.

* * *

Well…things are slowly smoothing out for the two boys. Course…Harry only mentioned half of it to his friends…Anyway, feel free to review! The 'submit' button is about, oh, I'd say two inches away…

-The Wykkyd ;)


	17. Moving On

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

And….I'm _VERY_ sorry it took me so long to update. How many of you remember this story?! (You might want to review the last chapter or two just to jog your memory) Anyway, I've been way to busy for my own good lately, but I promise that I will keep updating. Enjoy!

Chapter 17 of **Catalyst**- Moving On

* * *

Draco didn't spend much time at Harry's party. He made an appearance for dinner, but only because he knew that Harry was expecting him to. Other than that, he felt no obligation or desire to associate with the Gryffindor clan. Over dinner he did observe Fred's twin brother, George. It was apparent that the Weasley boy still held a bit of animosity towards Harry, but he was friendly towards the black-haired teen all the same. Draco was glad of this, if only for George's sake. If that boy made one wrong move towards Harry, Malfoy had full intentions of hexing him into next year.

Thankfully, and rather miraculously, dinner and the rest of Harry's birthday party passed without incident between Draco and the others. George left early, to go back to the hospital, and Tonks followed him there for one last check-up with the mediwitch before returning to her home. This left Remus and the five students in the house. Seeing as Hermione, Ron and Ginny were cleaning up the last of the dishes, and Draco was off somewhere else in the house, Harry was left alone with his godfather's friend. The werewolf settled down in a chair and motioned for Harry to do the same; he wanted to talk to the boy about today's happenings. Hermione and Ron had told him of the day's odd events, starting with Draco and Harry's fighting, and ending with the fragments of their conversation she overheard. To say the least, Remus was very curious as to what Harry and Draco's relationship was as of late.

"So, I heard that you and Draco had an interesting day," He started, not directly addressing the topic, but giving the conversation a good direction. Harry laughed a little.

"Just about every day I've spent with Draco has been interesting, to tell the truth." Remus cocked an eyebrow suggestively, and Harry, catching the meaning, blushed a bit. "Remus, you're almost as bad as Sirius. No, not _that_ kind of interesting."

"But you two _are_ close," Remus stated, then added quickly, "Not necessarily in a romantic way, but as in friends. Like you and Ron and Hermione, or you and Ginny." At the mention of Ginny, Harry just rolled his eyes and leaned back into the overstuffed chair, almost swallowed up by the brown upholstery. "Did something happen between you and Ginny?" Remus asked.

"Yes and no. I don't know. It's sort of a long story, but I guess you could say that she had a lot to do with why me and Draco have been arguing over the last two days," Harry said, knowing full well that if he told Remus what happened with Ginny, one thing would lead to the next and pretty soon the werewolf would have the low-down on Harry and Draco's real relationship. _What's preventing me from telling him? It's not like he's going to go ballistic,_ Harry asked himself as Remus stood up.

"Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere a bit more private, hmm?" The tawny-haired man suggested, leading Harry upstairs and into Sirius' old room where they both took a seat on the bed. "So, Harry, why don't you explain a bit of all this to me. Be as vague as you want, tell me only what you're comfortable with, but I would like to know something. I don't like knowing my best friend's son is arguing all day and night with a Death Eater's—"

"Never call him that!" Harry interrupted, rather loudly, "He is _not_ a Death Eater. He is _not_ Lucius Malfoy's son." Remus sighed.

"My mistake, Harry. The only problem with your statement, is that Lucius' disownment of Draco has not been made official or public, which means it only exists to those directly involved. Technically,Draco still is Lucius Malfoy's son. But, if time and fate allow, we may be able to change that. Regardless of Draco's legal last name, I would still like to hear at least a fragment of your story," The werewolf said, giving his young friend an encouraging smile. Harry smiled in return, thinking: _Here goes. If I'm going to give him something, I might as well give him all of it._

"Fine. Yesterday, Ginny was pressing me to…er, get back together with her, and Draco sort of walked in on us," The black-haired Gryffindor gave Remus a look that told the older man just what the two of them had been doing. "And he sort of freaked out, with reason though, I guess."

"Are you insinuating that—"

"Yes. Me and Draco are…together. Romantically involved, if you want to get technical," Harry finished, his cheeks bright red and his eyes staring at the red comforter, which had a _fascinating_ design on it. Remus couldn't contain his smile.

"I wondered when you'd come around and admit it. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you and Mr. Malfoy been in this relationship?" The werewolf asked, cracking a frighteningly wide smile.

"It depends, we were _officially_ together as of…two nights ago, but _unofficially_…it was probably around a week and a half ago. Something like that," Harry answered.

"Do continue with your story, Harry," Remus pressed with a friendly smirk, settling himself more comfortably on the pillows and stretching out his legs.

"Draco refused to listen to me when I told him that I _did not_ want to get back together with Ginny, and he started yelling at me, so I yelled at him, and I guess we never really stopped yelling at each other from that point. It never got out of hand, but I said some really cruel things, and I guess he did too, but…I don't know. Ginny still doesn't know that I'm with Draco, none of them do, and I don't really know how to tell them. I'm worried that Ginny will start making advances and Draco will get upset again," Harry cried, throwing his hands up for emphasis.

"It sounds like you just need to tell them. They're your best friends, I'm sure they'll support you in your choice."

"Remus, really. They still think Draco's a Death Eater, and he refuses to show him his mark!" Harry said.

"What's special about Malfoy's Dark Mark?"

"There a huge…scar through it. It only healed recently, but it signifies that Draco's no longer a Death Eater." As he spoke, Harry traced the line of Draco's scar on his own arm, starting a few inches below the inside of his elbow, and drawing an imaginary scar down to just before the wrist. Remus sighed. "The scar opens up every time the mark burns," Harry finished.

"So the mark still functions like all the others? You-Know-Who can call Draco?" Remus clarified for himself. Harry nodded. "When do you think this happened; when did they slash his mark?"

"I'd say around the beginning of the summer, since he got out of school anyway," Harry answered, stifling a yawn. Another smile flickered over Remus' face, although it was a bit far-off.

"You really like him don't you?" He asked. Harry looked a bit confused.

"Er…I guess. I mean, he's a lot different then Ginny, or Cho. Like, I feel differently," Harry finished pathetically. "Why?" Remus shrugged.

"I used to feel the way you are now, you know," The werewolf said quietly, the far-off expression still gracing his face. Harry's interest perked a bit. Remus was such an introvert, even more so once Sirius died, and it was rare that he'd open up like this.

……

_Harry slumped against the closed door of his room, putting his head in his hands. It didn't seem _real_. But he had seen it. Everything had happened so fast that night: the only lights in the air the red, green, blue, and occasional white spells that lanced from wands. But then he had turned…and…and there was Sirius. Falling. And suddenly time had stopped, until Sirius was gone in a flutter of black and Remus' arms were wrapped around him and holding him back. He had been so close to jumping after his godfather, so close to trying to save him. But Remus wouldn't let go of him for the longest time. Harry wasn't sure he had heard it because of all the chaos around him, but now, reflecting on the whole ordeal, he was positive he had. Remus had been whispering, "No, no, no, no, no, no…" Over and over, until his voice grew so soft it appeared he was only mouthing the words. Only the flash of red light whizzing millimeters over his head broke Remus' reverie and caused him to push Harry on the floor to protect both of them._

_It had only been a month since…that happened, and most people were over the initial shock. Hermione and Ron still grew a bit quieter whenever he was mentioned, but it was more out of respect for Harry's feelings than anything else. The Weasley family had never really known Sirius, so although it pained them to see Harry so depressed, there was not much else they felt when things boiled down to Sirius. No one had really noticed how Remus just…disappeared for a bit before now, Sirius' memorial. _

_Harry had been delighted when Remus walked through the door of the Burrow, a small smile on his face and offering a wave to the gathering of people that were seated at the table. The black-haired teen jumped up immediately and buried himself in Remus' arms, un-restrained tears streaming from his eyes. _

"_Remus," He whispered softly. The werewolf smiled at him and wrapped his long arms around Harry's thin frame, giving the rest of the guests a little nod before ushering the teen upstairs to one of the bedrooms where they could talk in private. His left arm still around Harry, Remus clicked the door shut and sat down on the bed, pulling Harry onto his lap and holding him comfortingly close. _

"_How have you been, Harry?" He asked. Harry shifted a bit and brushed the tears off his face, smiling a bit._

"_Sorry about that," He apologized with a small laugh that was a bit out of place. Remus squeezed his shoulders and waited patiently for the answer to his question. "I've been good, though. Not too great, but I'm holding up alright. And you?" There was a long pause before Remus spoke._

"_Sirius was…my best friend. It's…still hard." Harry closed his eyes for a moment before opening them._

……

_It was later that night that Harry had accidentally walked in on a sobbing Remus when he really understood just how much Sirius had meant to the golden-eyed man. Remus was…the last of the Marauders. Well, the un-corrupted ones anyway; Peter didn't really count anymore. Remus had lost James first, then Peter to Voldemort, and now Sirius. _

……

Harry looked up sharply, meeting Remus' light brown eyes.

"You mean…Sirius? You…" Remus emitted a quiet chuckle and nodded.

"Yes."

"Did my father know?"

"Well, of course, considering it _was_ James that locked us in that bloody closet—"

"He WHAT?" Harry cried, a huge smile on his face. Remus laughed and nodded his head.

"If I remember correctly, it was the beginning of our seventh year at Hogwarts, and Sirius and I had been at each other's throats for a bit because he _never_ studied, and I _refused_ to let him copy my homework anymore. So James took the liberty of forcibly locking me in a broom closet. About fifteen minutes later Sirius is thrown in there half naked and soaking wet because he had been in the shower and James only gave him time to put pants on, and well, you could say things sort of went from there."

"Were you still dating when Sirius was taken to Azkaban?" The younger Gryffindor asked. Remus shook his head.

"We only dated through seventh year and into the summer a few months, and then Voldemort started emerging. We thought it safest for both of us if we weren't together."

"What about after my third year, when we found Sirius?"

"And that is where I stop giving you little details that you don't need to know. It's been a long day for you, Harry. It's time I take my leave. Don't worry about seeing me down," Remus said as Harry made to stand up, "I believe I can find my own way down the stairs. "Goodnight Harry, and happy birthday." Harry stood up anyway, if only to wrap his friend in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry about Sirius. I wish things could have had a happy ending for you two," The Golden Boy said into Remus' chest.

"Me too. But I'll just keep rooting for you and Draco. Go to bed now, Harry," Remus said, ruffling the young Gryffindor's hair and stepping out of the room. But instead of turning to go downstairs to the fireplace, the werewolf kept walking down the hall, entering the East Wing. He knocked on Draco's door.

"Mr. Malfoy? I believe I have something of yours," He called quietly. Immediately the door swung open and Remus was ushered inside as he pulled a black box out of his robes and held it out to the Slytherin.

"Good. Did you have any trouble accessing the account?" Draco asked politely, taking the box and setting it on the desk.

"None at all."

"Well then, thank you very much," Malfoy said, shocking Remus. A Malfoy just said 'thank you' to him. Unbelievable, and yet very welcome.

"It was my pleasure, undoubtedly. Have a nice evening Mr. Malfoy," The werewolf said to his former student, keeping in perfect context with the rather formal atmosphere. As he was leaving the room, Remus thought he saw the flicker of a smile cross Draco's face. _Who knows, those two might do some good for each other,_ Remus thought with a smile.

-------------------------

"Harry, may I come in?" Harry looked up from the photo album Remus gave him, tearing his gaze from the smiling faces of his parents.

"Sure," He answered, opening the door with a flick of his wand. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Really Harry, I could have opened it myself," He reasoned.

"But I'm seventeen now! I can do magic!" Harry said with a laugh, motioning for Draco to sit next to him on the bed. The Slytherin sat down and leaned his head over to look at what Harry had recently been viewing.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Present from Remus," Harry answered.

"You don't mind that I didn't really participate in your party, do you?" Harry smiled and shook his head, looking into Draco's mesmerizing eyes and feeling his breath hitch for just a second.

"I didn't expect you to be there for most of it. Don't worry 'bout it," The Gryffindor gave his boyfriend another reassuring smile. "So, did you come here to talk about something, or is it that you simply can't resist my charm?" He teased, shutting this photo album and placing it aside. Draco smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself; I think I'm starting to influence you, Harry. But, I'm actually here to give you your birthday present." Draco held out the black box, placing it in Harry's hands.

"Would you have given this to me if we were still arguing?" Harry asked, his eyes flitting over the present in his hands. The box was about a square foot with a silver crest on the top of it. Harry could make out four different animals, a cat, a mouse or rat, a toad, and some sort of bird. At the bottom read the words: '_Grimdymak's Abstract Animals_' in miniscule, black letters. Just then, he felt something inside the box move. He looked up, still waiting for the answer to his recent question.

"Of course I would have. I wasn't really that angry at you after I calmed down a bit, but…let's just forget the whole thing, and hope Ginny stays clear of you."

"I don't think she will, actually. Unless she has a good reason _not_ to come after me, she will. She's frighteningly determined," Harry laughed.

"Never mind Weaslette, but I can _always_ give her a reason not to come after you. Now, open your present," Draco commanded, arranging some pillows underneath him and laying down on the bed, stretching out his lithe form. Harry, a bit wary of the creature in the box, opened the lid slowly, and a pair of silver eyes stared right back to him. They were almost identical to Draco's. Curious as ever, the black-haired teen opened the lid all the way. Even though he was prepared, he couldn't control the gasp that he let out when the creature exited the box in one languid motion, its silver eyes never leaving Harry's.

"Draco…he's beautiful…_Merlin_ he's beautiful…"

* * *

Find out next chapter what Draco's gift to Harry was!

In the meantime….why don't you leave a comment?

-The Wykkyd


	18. Death In A Dream

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

I'm going to try and start updating faster now, because I know that it's hard to follow a story that's being updated so sporadically. We'll see if my resolution stays true to itself! ;)

Chapter 18 of **Catalyst**- Death In A Dream

* * *

"Draco…he's beautiful…_Merlin_ he's beautiful…"

A three-foot-long, midnight black snake slowly uncurled itself and slithered out of the box, coiling up Harry's arm and draping around his shoulders. The piercing silver eyes took in its surroundings in one quick motion, then slid off of Harry's shoulders to go inspect Draco. Its black scales shimmered silver in the dim lighting, making the snake look slightly ethereal. As the snake made its way up Draco's arm, the Slytherin boy looked down on the snake with a smile.

"I told Lupin what I needed for you, but he was actually the one who picked it out. He did an excellent job," Malfoy commented.

"He's _amazing_. I don't even know what to call him," Harry whispered, his eyes never leaving his gift.

"Grimdymak has a name for him: Ssyn . Or you could ask him," Draco suggested. _Oh, I guess I could,_ the Gryffindor thought, feeling a bit embarrassed that he didn't think of that himself.

"Er…" Harry began, focusing on the snake, and specifically, its eyes, "/_Ssyn? Iss that your name?/_" The snake nodded his head up and down once.

"/_Yess, young ssnake- talker/,"_ Ssyn said in an eerie voice.

"/_Call me Harry/,_" The black-haired boy requested politely, then shifted to English to explain to Draco. "Synn. I guess that's what I'll be calling him. Draco, thank you so much. _Sesstan sarass,_" He whispered, this time thanking the Slytherin in Parseltongue. He didn't expect said Slytherin to pin his shoulders roughly to the bed and start teasing his ear with those pale lips. "What are you doing?" Harry demanded, a bit breathless for reasons he couldn't quite lay a finger on. Draco just smirked as Ssyn slid off his shoulders and made his way off the bed to explore the rest of the room.

"What do you think?" Came the husky reply, Draco's lips just brushing the corner of Harry's jaw to move over his lips. A low, quiet moan slipped out of the Gryffindor's mouth, just before Malfoy captured it with his own.

"Mmmphf!" Harry exclaimed, although his intended words were not understandable. Finally, Draco pulled away, one eyebrow raised. "Not now, Draco," Harry pleaded.

"Whatever, Potter." Malfoy said, ignoring Harry completely and going back to his previous activity. Another moan escaped Harry as he let his thumbs hook the hem of Malfoy's shirt, dragging it up and over Malfoy's head where it was tossed casually to the floor. Draco's lips moved down Harry's jaw-line, his tongue flicking out almost snake-like to taste the sensitive flesh underneath Harry's angular chin, which sparked a content laugh from the Gryffindor.

"Draco, that tickles!" He exclaimed, his left hand gripping the Slytherin's shoulder and his right tangled in Malfoy's sliver-blonde hair. Draco let out a rather sadistic cackle and went back to nipping the skin on Harry's neck, moving lower to devour the prominent collarbone as his pale hands slid over the Gryffindor's faintly muscled chest as he shifted a bit to straddle the Boy-Who-Lived's hips. Finally, Harry cupped Draco's chin in his hand and pulled the teen up to meet his mouth. Silently requesting permission, Harry ran his tongue along Draco's lower lip and was quickly granted entry. A vicious battle of tongues ensued, and arms and legs tangled together as the bed covers became thoroughly scrambled. As Malfoy's lips grazed a particularly sensitive area just behind Harry's ear, the Gryffindor cried out in pleasure, arching his back and grinding his hips into Draco's. Encouraged by this, Draco moved lower, sliding down to Harry's bare chest where he let his tongue swirl teasingly around the Gryffindor's nipple.

"Draco—"

"Shut up, Potter," Malfoy commanded, placing his hands on the bed near Harry's head and straightening his arms to look at the boy underneath him. Harry's eyes were sparkling with excitement and feeling and a thin trickle of sweat had rolled down his temple, the gleaming bead of water pooling in the teen's ear. "Do you know how damn beautiful you are Harry?" The named Gryffindor just smiled, a seductive edge on his lips that Draco had never seen before. Once again, the Slytherin brought his lips crashing down on Harry's, his tongue dancing in his partner's mouth while his eyes fluttered shut.

Suddenly Draco felt something cool and damp sliding over his back; definitely not Harry's hands. Ssyn's pointed face came into sight, the snake's tongue flicking in and out of his mouth. Harry looked at him, obviously listening.

"Ssyn hears someone coming," Harry said, still a bit breathless. There was a pause, then: "Well come on, you git!" Harry pushed Draco off of him and onto the floor.

"You bastard!" Malfoy cried with false anger as he rolled under the bed and lay still, chest heaving from both the sudden flurry of movement and from kissing Harry.

Harry hastily grabbed a shirt and shrugged it on, while trying to neaten the bed covers quickly. Just as he had grabbed the photo album that he was looking at before Draco came in and as Ssyn coiled about his neck, the door opened…

And Ginny walked in to take in the sight of a very sweaty, breathless Harry, his glasses strewn on the floor and an unfamiliar shirt right next to them.

"Are you alone?" She asked, her eyes flicking hungrily to the patch of bare skin on Harry's stomach that the shirt wasn't covering. Harry blushed a bit and shut the photo album.

"Er…yeah, why ask?" He questioned a bit uncomfortably. Ginny just shrugged and sat down on the bed, inviting herself into the room.

"Oh, no reason." It was then she noticed the snake. With a choked cry, Ginny leapt off the bed. "In the name of Merlin, what is _that_?" She exclaimed, pointing at the snake draped around Harry, who just smirked a bit.

"My birthday present," He answered, the Malfoy-esque smirk still on his face. _She _just_ noticed it?_ Harry thought a bit scathingly, but he pushed the thought away. Despite all of Ginny's annoying advances, she was still Ginny Weasley, and a good friend.

"No one today gave that to you," She said, "At the party, I mean."

"He didn't give it to me at the party." At this point, Harry thought he heard a stifled laugh come from underneath the bed, and he coughed a bit to cover up the noise, fighting off a laugh himself. Thankfully, Ginny didn't notice any of this.

"So…this is Malfoy's present to you then?" She asked after putting two and two together. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. He gave this to me. And before you go off on some rant about how this snake could be a spy for Voldemort, I'll just tell you that Ssyn _isn't_. He's a perfectly normal—"

"You're actually going to keep a snake that Draco Malfoy gave you, who's name is _Sin_?" Ginny asked, astounded. "Really Harry, I just don't know how smart that is. I mean, Draco Mal—"

"Ginny, for Merlin's sake! I _trust _Draco. He's my _friend_. Stop acting like he's going to hex us all in the middle of the night. And the snake's name is _Ssyn_; double 'S', a 'Y' and a 'N'."

"Alright, I'll lay off Malfoy…for now. But why is that thing called Ssyn?" Harry shrugged.

"I don't know."

"It's a bit unnerving," Ginny commented, staring into the silver eyes. _They look like Malfoy's,_ she observed silently.

"/_Hhharry, who is the young witch?/_" Ssyn hissed in Harry's ears.

"_/One of my friends. Call her Ginny/_" Harry answered fluidly, ignoring Ginny's visible shiver as he spoke in Parseltongue. He knew that his friends weren't comfortable with his abilities that so resembled Voldemort's. Even Ron and Hermione cringed when they heard him talking to snakes, even though it wasn't that often. Only Draco didn't mind, in fact, he loved it when Harry lapsed into Parseltongue. It had a way of reminding him that the precious hero of the wizarding world had a darker, more mysterious side to him. Harry looked up at Ginny again.

"Don't talk like that. It's…odd."

"Well, it's a part of me. You'll just have to get used to it," Harry said, parrying his subtlety harsh words with a brilliant smile. Ginny gave a rather weak smile in return, snuggling into Harry's side. "Ginny…er…" Suddenly Harry was all too aware of the other presence right beneath his bed, "Look, we can't do this."

"Why not Harry? You're going back to school with me, no horcruxes or Voldemort to worry about; we can be a couple again!" She explained.

"I _always_ have to worry about Voldemort," Harry said, then added, "Even though I'm not out horcrux-hunting, we still can't be a couple. It…it's not because I'll have other things to be doing, or that you'll be in danger because of it…it's just that, I, well…" The black-haired Gryffindor stopped and took a breath to re-collect himself, "It's because _I_ don't want us to be a couple." At this Ginny shot up, an angry glint in her eye.

"What do you mean you don't want this? What ever happened to what you felt about me at Hogwarts last semester?" She demanded.

"That was _last semester_. Ginny, I did care about you; I still do! But now I don't care for you like I did. You're more like a sister to me than anything, and that's really all I want you to be."

"That's awfully selfish of you, Golden Boy!" Ginny exclaimed. "How can you _say_ that? _Why_ don't you want us to be a couple? It's only been two months since we agreed to break up, how can your feelings change so quickly?" Ginny asked, looking an odd combination of furious and hurt. Harry looked down.

"They just did," He whispered softly, still not meeting her penetrating gaze. "I told you, I don't feel that way about you anymore. I'm sorry Ginny, but it's in the past, and that's where it should stay. I've moved on," He explained.

"Harry, I don't believe you!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration, "And, I don't think you're telling me everything." _That girl's smarter then she lets on sometimes,_ Harry thought, groaning mentally.

"There's nothing else that I need to tell you, Gin. It's sort of personal. Look, it's late, and I really just want to go to bed," Harry said with a sigh. Ginny pouted.

"No goodnight kiss?" She asked with a too-hopeful expression on her face.

"No, don't you get it? I—" But he was cut off by an unwelcome pair of lips pressed against his own. Finding his senses, Harry grabbed Ginny's shoulders and successfully pushed her off of him. "What the hell Ginny? I already _told you_, dammit—" But the Weasley girl cut him off again.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Harry, but in the course of two months you've turned into a down-right bastard." And then she slapped him. Hard. "You _deserve_ that," She snapped, pushing him back on the bed and standing up.

"GET OUT, GINNY!" Harry yelled, holding his cheek in pain. He sighed and closed his eyes when he heard his door slam and Ginny's footsteps fade into the hall.

Draco scrambled out from underneath the bed and dusted himself off, sneezing because of the dust. He would have made a comment about the un-cleanliness of the floor under the bed, but he wisely decided this wasn't the best time for a snide remark. Instead he sat down on the bed and pulled Harry into his lap.

"Don't listen to the Weasley bitch. She had no right to lash out at you like that," Draco consoled, pressing his lips onto Harry's in a gentle, chaste kiss.

"Why do I get the feeling that my friends aren't going to take us being together all that well?" Harry asked with a groan. Draco just laughed dryly, agreeing.

……

_Harry stood in the center of a tight circle made up of men in sweeping black robes and masks._

"_Harry Potter," One of them said while stepping into the center of the circle, closer to Harry. A stream of white-blond hair fluttered behind the man in a non-existent breeze, giving him a look of power. "Where is Draco?" The words slid off Malfoy Senior's tongue like water, seeping into Harry's mind and weakening the barriers that lay there._

"_No!" Harry cried, overwhelmed by the rush of power that Lucius was forcing at him. It rushed around his head, cutting off air; he couldn't see or hear any voices but that of Lucius'. _

"_Where is that traitor of a son?" Malfoy demanded, pouring even more of his magic into Harry's brain, working it around all of the blocks that prevented Harry's mind from being raided._

"_I can't…can't…" Harry moaned, clutching his head in agony. Suddenly the rush of magic stopped, dragged back into the wizard that stood before him. Although now, there were two. Lucius Malfoy, and Draco. Harry's eye's opened wide in fear for the young Slytherin. "Draco…" He started, but then the flood of magic was back on him. Harry swayed and fell back onto the floor, his head cracking on the stone._

"_Potter, do you know what we Death Eaters do with traitors?" Lucius' asked, not expecting an answer. "We kill them. Slowly, painfully, and violently. And, we make their friends watch." Lucius waved a hand towards Harry and two Death Eaters grabbed him by his underarms and dragged him upright, while two more grabbed Draco and slammed him against the wall, facing Harry. Lucius took his wand out and rolled up his sleeves, positioning himself in between the two, but not completely centered, so the two teens could see each other. A silvery stream of magic erupted from the older Malfoy's wand, splitting in two and hitting both Harry and Draco in the chests. Harry gasped as the ice-cold magic entered him, although he didn't know what it had done. Lucius laughed._

"_What better way to kill two birds with one stone, then by letting you to share your emotions until death?" The man raged, his high, maniacal laughter ringing through the chamber. Harry's eyes widened, Draco would be tortured, and he would able to feel Draco's emotions and pain. _But will I die as well?_ Harry wondered. As if sensing his question, Lucius looked at the Golden Boy and shook his head. "No wounds will be inflicted upon you, Chosen One. I cannot kill you, only the Dark Lord has that privilege. Crucio!" Draco screamed, his body twisting and contorting as much as possible while still being held by chains to the wall. Seconds later, waves of pain broke into Harry's mind. All he felt was pain; pain and the flicker of life that was Draco. Blood pooled around the Gryffindor's feet, and looking up, he saw it was flowing in steady rivers from Draco; his eyes, his mouth, his heart all gushed blood. And once again, all Harry felt was pain, all he saw was blood, all he could smell was death, and all he heard were Draco's and his screams blending together until one of them fell silent, never to scream again._

……

Harry woke up screaming, his back arched and his muscles aching from the strain of thrashing around. Sweat dripped off of him and his scar was burning, causing his eyes to water in pain. He could still feel blood on him, screams echoed in his ears, and the stench of death was invading his nose. _Oh Merlin…_Harry grabbed his stomach and ran to the bathroom, where he got to the toilet just in time to heave up the remnants of dinner.

Still hanging over the toilet bowl, Harry noticed that the water running down his cheeks was not only sweat, but tears. Stifling a sob, he stood up on shaky legs and rinsed his mouth out with some water. The sweat on his body still felt like blood, smelled salty like blood as well. _God damn dreams,_ he swore, stripping off his pants and boxers and stepping into the shower. The water was ice cold, and it was hard to breathe for a moment, but that was how Harry wanted it. Furiously he scrubbed at his skin until it was practically raw, ridding it of the fluid that seemed so dirty and evil.

With a groan, Harry sank to the floor of the shower, his face tilted up in order to let the water cascade onto it. Dragging his knees into his chest, Harry lay his head down on them as tears rolled down his cheeks, mixing with the shower water. _Why do _I_ have to be Harry Potter?_ He asked himself, even though he already knew the answer, _It's either me or somebody else. Someone like Neville._ This brought a small smile to his face; he didn't even want to know what would have happened by now if Neville had been the chosen one. _Damn the prophecy. Damn Voldemort. Damn Sirius for dying. Damn Dumbledore for dying. Damn it all! _Harry raged mentally, throwing his head back into the wall and welcoming the dull, aching pain it produced.

Harry only got out of the shower when he looked at his hands and noticed they were ghost-white, without an ounce of pigment in them. His whole body matched the color, and he stood up weakly, turning the water off and stepping out of the shower to grab a towel and dry off. Once Harry had his pajamas on, he left the bathroom without even drying his hair, satisfied with it after he had run his hands through the locks a couple times. Looking at the bed made him feel sick again; there was no way he was going back to sleep. He didn't want another nightmare.

Instead, Harry opened the door to his room and slipped out, not bothering to grab a blanket for his shivering body. The huge grandfather clock in the living room read six o'clock in the morning, so Harry assumed that he had woken up from his dream around five, which meant that he'd had only about four and a half hours of sleep._ I should have gone to bed earlier,_ Harry thought as he grabbed a stray book and opened it up, flopping down on the couch. He thought about going to Hermione or Draco; Hermione with her motherly ways had always calmed him down, and Draco was just…Draco. Dry wit had a way of calm to it as well. But he didn't want to give them his problems; Hermione's leg was still healing, although she no longer needed a crutch, and Draco had plenty to worry about already. None of them needed any more to think about.

Presently, Ssyn slithered up onto the sofa and up Harry's arm, hissing softly in his ear.

"/_Up early, are you?/_" The snake asked. Harry just nodded. "/_Cold, you are/,_" Ssyn commented. Harry nodded again. The snake made a noise that implied laughing, "_/Not talkative in the morningsss?_" He hissed with amusement at Harry's silent form.

"_/Not thisss morning_/," Harry hissed in return.

"/_You are tired/,_" Ssyn mentioned. "_/I can sssmell it._" Harry shrugged, not denying it, not agreeing. His body needed sleep, but his mind didn't like that idea.

"_/I had a dream. About Voldemort; you know him?_/" Harry asked. The snake nodded.

"/_Yesss. I know of him. He smellsss of evil and power. I have been within hisss presssence./_"

"/_Why?/_" The human boy asked, growing suspicious.

"_/Sssimply coincidence, I assssure you. He isss not one I would assssociate with,/_" Ssyn answered, successfully putting Harry at ease with him once more. "/_What are thessse dreamssss of yoursss?/_"

"/_Evil onesss. They keep me awake. I can't sssleep/,_" Harry answered. The snakes tongue gently flicked his ear.

"/_Ssssleep. I will wake you if you dream again. Ssssleep, Hhharry,_/" Ssyn hissed, soothing Harry into a light, but restful sleep.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione came downstairs to start breakfast when she saw Harry, white as a sheet, sleeping on the couch with a large, black snake wrapped around him. Worried, Hermione quickly but quietly ran over to him, and was about to wake him when the snake hissed menacingly. With a small gasp, Hermione withdrew her hand and stared into the snake's silver eyes. Whispering a spell, she pointed her wand at the snake. A silver aura rose from him, sparked with bits of gold and black. She sighed with approval; this snake was pure. If it had had any dealings of the wrong kind with Voldemort, his aura would be a deep black, with sparks of red. Still, the snake was hissing protectively at her, warning Hermione not to wake the sleeping boy.

"Alright, alright. I'm going to get Malfoy," She said. The snake hadn't been any one else's present last night, and she hadn't seen Draco give Harry his present, so she correctly assumed that the snake coiled around Harry at the moment was his gift from Malfoy. As silently as she had come, Hermione made her way back up the staircase and into the East Wing, where she knocked on Draco's door hard enough to wake him. Several moments later the door opened to Malfoy, looking as intact as always. Seeing her worried look, Draco's eyebrows rose, but that was the only indication that he was now a bit concerned as well.

"You better have a good reason for waking me this early," He snapped.

"It's Harry. I need you to deal with that snake you gave him; I'm assuming it _was_ you who gave it to him." Draco nodded and grabbed a robe quickly, his emotionless mask never leaving his face.

"Well, come on then, Granger," He commanded when she just stood there. Giving a sigh of distain, Hermione turned on her heel and walked down the hall, Draco following.

As soon as his eyes rested on Harry's pale form, the black snake a stark contrast to the teen's white skin, his heart-rate sped up drastically. Still, ever true to his Malfoy and Slytherin nature, his worry did not show through. Hermione stood back as the Slytherin waved a hand at the snake: Ssyn slid off of Harry without complaint.

"What's his name?" Hermione enquired, looking at the snake that was sliding over the rug on the floor. Malfoy ignored her question and picked Harry up with a gentleness Hermione didn't expect. "Do you need some help with him?" She asked; Draco didn't look like the strongest of teen boys.

"Granger, Potter's not _that_ heavy, quite the opposite in fact," Draco quipped softly, so as not to wake Harry. Hermione's large brown eyes still held worry as she followed Malfoy up the staircase and into his room, where Harry was laid on his bed.

"He had a nightmare," Hermione whispered, looking around the room. Draco looked up at her and she elaborated. "His bed's messier than if he had just gotten out of it; it's like he was thrashing around. Plus, it seems as if he took a shower. There's a wet towel on the floor and pools of water as well." The Slytherin nodded his approval.

"You're not bad you know, for a muggle-born," He commented as he let his hands slide through Harry's still-damp hair. Hermione smiled in return.

"Harry was right about you. You've changed. I'd love to know more, but Harry won't talk about with me."

"Maybe later, Granger," Draco whispered.

"You can call me Hermione, if you want," She offered. Malfoy nodded rather absently. "Harry's going to be okay, right?"

"He should be fine. You can go, Gra—Hermione," Draco said, smiling up at the witch. She beamed at him and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

When Hermione's footsteps faded down the hall, Draco let his mask fall off and he lay down next to Harry, pulling the black-haired boy's fragile body close. After several minutes in this position, Harry's eyes fluttered open and he rolled over, emerald-green melting into silver-gray.

"Draco," He whispered, and threw his arms around Malfoy's neck, blinking back tears.

"Harry, are you alright?" Draco asked, rubbing soothing circles on his boyfriend's back.

"Nightmare."

"Talk about it?" Malfoy asked, still holding Harry close. Harry shook his head, shivering from cold. "Then you at least owe me an explanation of why you're so damn cold," Draco demanded. Harry mumbled something incomprehensible, and Draco asked again. The Gryffindor pulled his head up again.

"Took a shower. Cold one; really cold. I don't know…I just didn't want a warm shower. It reminded me of…of…" Harry broke off, sighing.

"Of what?"

"Never mind, it was stupid."

"Harry, what did it remind you of?" Malfoy coaxed gently, a bit worried.

"Of blood," The emerald-eyed boy whispered, a single, diamond tear leaking out of his eye.

"Harry, it's not fair, it's not fair at all," Draco whispered, not explaining himself any further and pulling Harry so close to him that he could feel the teen's heartbeat, further bonding their position with a gentle, comforting kiss.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I really can't tell you guys how much I appreciate them. So many guessed that Harry's present was a snake (and even more hoped it would be), so I just did it. Plus, it gave me an excuse for Harry to speak Parseltongue!

-The Wykkyd


	19. AntiSecret

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

Thanks for all the reviews last time guys! Keep it up!

Chapter 19 of **Catalyst**- Anti-Secret

* * *

Lucius paced back and forth in his study, furious. Draco had managed to completely disappear from the wizarding and muggle worlds; there wasn't any sign of him, and Voldemort refused to give Lucius the resources and people to deal with the boy.

"All he cares about is that bloody Potter boy! How can he order me to find Draco, and give me next to no resources to do it with?" The Death Eater raged, a vase near him shattering with the magic he was leaking. "Draco is out there somewhere, and I can't think of a way to find him!"

"Calm down, Lucius. You've only sent a few of the middle circle looking for him," Bellatrix soothed, her long fingers tipped with black nails massaging his shoulders.

"I only _have _a few middle circle Death Eaters to send! The Dark Lord is underestimating my former son," Malfoy spat. "He could easily find help for himself, and expose our whereabouts at the manor."

"But will he? We haven't had any problems yet, and it's been two and a half weeks. It seems he's too afraid to betray us so. We only have another week and a half before he'll—no doubt—head to Hogwarts. We could wait until then. Without Dumbledore there…"

"I want Draco dead before he sets a _foot_ onto those blasted _grounds_. I want to kill him with my own hands, the ungrateful wench! How has he managed to slip past us for thirteen damn days? I want him _dead_!" The man yelled. Bellatrix backed away quietly and conjured a book into her hands, holding it out to him.

"Try this."

"What?" Lucius spat, not even looking up. "What would I want with a book?"

"Sit down, dear. Have you ever heard of a blood-bond?" Bella asked, ushering the man into a chair. Lucius just glared at her; Bella smirked. "Didn't think so. All family members related by blood share a bond. It has nothing to do with love or hate; it simply involves the structure of the blood, the similarities of it, if you will. This is a book about such bonds; I suggest you skim through it. You might find some very useful tracking spells inside it, spells that no physical, magical, or mental barrier can block. Good luck, Lucius. And if you do find something, don't hesitate to call me," Lady Black smiled and gave a little mock bow before she apparated from the room with a 'pop'. Lucius groaned, but grabbed the book anyway. _I should have thought of this before_, the Death Eater thought as he opened the book to the cover-page. _My Lord will be so pleased…_

-------------------

Harry didn't know why the dream from last night was affecting him so much. It just wouldn't get out of his head. Sitting in the library that day, he could feel the othes glancing at him from over the spines of their books or from around shelves. The dream had felt…different then the others, more substantial, more prophetic. _Oh god I hope that's not the future,_ Harry thought, running his hands through his hair in frustration. _It's probably just one possible outcome of the future, nothing written in stone yet, I don't have to worry…yet. Dammit! _He slammed his fist down on the desk with a bang that surprised all four other teens in the room, making them look up in concern. Harry shook his head at the unspoken question that radiated from them: _Are you alright?_

The dream _meant_ something, but what? _Why_ did it feel so different? After thinking in circles for fifteen minutes, Harry stood up and began browsing the shelves. Not to find, or even look, for a book, but just to move around; to get the others to stop worrying about him so much. It was only when Harry felt slender arms snake around his waist from behind that he realized he had been staring at the same book for five minutes.

"Thought I'd warn you, the Weasley bitch is looking for you," Draco whispered in Harry's ear, causing the Gryffindor to shiver with surprise. "Come on, we'll talk elsewhere." Grabbing Harry's hand, Malfoy peered around the tall shelves before pulling Harry out of the room, heading for the stairs. Harry was surprised when Draco led him into the South Wing and up the stairs to the attic. The emerald-eyed boy looked around the familiar place with a mixture of fond and sad memories. He used to come here when he needed to get away from everything, normally to think about Sirius. Brood was probably a better word for it though. Other times he came here to simply read on the faded, old couch and be without company. The attic still held the same relaxing atmosphere that it did last summer, Harry noticed as Draco sat down on the couch and pulled the Gryffindor down next to him, situating their positions so Harry's head was in the Slytherin's lap.

"What's wrong Harry? And _don't_ try and tell me you're fine. It's a bit obvious you aren't," Draco said, running his hands through Harry's black hair soothingly. The Gryffindor took a breath and shrugged.

"I can't put my finger on it. That dream…it's just _stuck_ in my mind; I can't forget about it. It wasn't a normal nightmare, meaning it didn't involve Voldemort. He wasn't even there."

"Who _was_ there?" Draco asked curiously, not completely understanding Harry's words. There was another pause before the teen answered.

"Your—Lucius. It was him, you, me, and the other Death Eaters. Normally I don't dream about happenings that don't involve Voldemort."

"How do you know this _didn't_ involve Voldemort? It could have been something he ordered my father to do," Malfoy suggested. Harry shivered.

"Oh _god_ I hope not," He said with his eyes shut tightly as he tried to keep the still-vivid images from invading his mind. He felt Draco squeeze his shoulder gently. "I can _still_ see the dream; all day I've been hearing fragments of screams and smelling blood. This has never happened before! I don't know why this is happening either. It's almost like a...prophetic dream. Although I _can't_ let it come true. It was just so vivid. It still is," Harry spoke. Draco could tell he was genuinely upset because the Gryffindor boy had started to speak in fragments. Gently, the Slytherin pulled Harry up into his arms, wrapping them tightly around the black-haired boy's chest and resting his own chin on Harry's shoulder.

"Have you ever had prophetic dreams before?" Draco asked, his fingers tracing the muscles on Harry's chest through his shirt.

"Yes. Which is why I'm so scared that this one is going to come true. It just _can't_. But _dammit_! The dream means _something_, I just don't know what. I can't figure it out," The Gryffindor exclaimed, concern and frustration creeping into his voice.

"Be patient Harry, maybe you'll understand everything later," Malfoy suggested.

"What if _'later'_ is too late?" The blonde-haired boy heard Harry mutter darkly.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what the dream was about?" Draco whispered for the hundredth time that day. He already knew the answer: no. Harry wouldn't talk about it yet, but maybe tomorrow…

"No," Came the expected answer. Draco just sighed and pulled Harry to him as close as physically possible, absentmindedly teasing the boy's ear with his lips. After a few moments in comfortable silence, Harry spoke again. "I wish it could always be like this."

"I know. I do too. It's going to be strange to be back at Hogwarts, I'll admit that. We only have ten days before we have to catch the train," Draco commented thoughtfully.

"We'll have to keep the charade going then, won't we?" Harry asked, referring to their old rivalry. Draco shifted a bit.

"Er…yes. We will. You know we can't let…_us_ get out. It's too dangerous."

"Mmmm," Harry murmured softly, "Let's enjoy it while we can then." With that he turned over to face Draco and brought his lips smashing into the Slytherin's, enjoying the moan elicited from Draco's mouth. Malfoy reciprocated by forcing his tongue into Harry's mouth and reveling in the Golden Boy's taste. Harry tasted like everything Draco had ever expected: honey, cinnamon…chocolate. And then there was something else, something that was simply Harry.

Moving so he had better leverage, the Gryffindor pushed Draco onto his back and supported his own body on his elbows, which were placed in-between Draco's arms and torso. It was amazing how beautiful Draco was; glistening hair, so blonde it was practically silver, pale, perfect skin and sparkling mercury eyes that were presently closed in ecstasy.

"Draco, you know that you're beautiful, right?" Harry whispered huskily in-between kisses that he trailed down Draco's neck.

"Of course I know I'm beautiful, Harry, but it's always nice to hear you say—oh god…" The Slytherin trailed off into a moan as Harry swirled his tongue over a particularly sensitive spot on Draco's exposed collar bone, his hands simultaneously undoing the buttons on his boyfriend's shirt. It was a rare occurrence that Draco let someone take a dominant position in their relationship—not saying that Harry was the dominant man _all_ the time—normally he didn't like not having control, but with Harry it was a completely different story. Something was entirely different about his relationship with Harry. _Maybe because I'm actually attracted to more than his arse,_ Malfoy thought as his own hands slid under Harry's shirt and up to his shoulders in order to pull the Gryffindor closer and capture Harry's lips in a bruising, fiery, and passionate kiss that left both participants breathless when they pulled apart.

Emerald-green fused with silver-gray as the Slytherin and the Gryffindor stared into the other's eyes. Harry felt something akin to drowning every time he gazed deep into Draco's eyes, memorizing every strand of silver and gray. Something about Draco's eyes was simply mesmerizing; the dark swirls of gray highlighted by thin blades of silver that lanced into his large pupils. Softly, Harry placed a kiss on the Slytherin's eyelid, kissing it closed, Harry's touch so gentle Draco barely felt the contact. When Harry's lips left, he opened his eyes and smiled a bit.

"Wouldn't it be amusing if someone walked in on us right now?" Draco asked with a smirk. Harry rolled his eyes.

"No. Not to me anyway. Ginny would pulverize me." Draco made a face at Ginny's name; that girl was too damn nosy and determined.

"If she would pulverize you, I don't even want to know what she'd do to me, the bitch," Draco said with a scowl and unwillingly withdrew his hands from under Harry's shirt, taking his time of course, to slide down the hero's rib cage and brush his hips before bringing them up to Harry's neck. The Gryffindor made a sound of protest, but sat up and climbed off of Draco as said Slytherin pushed himself up and buttoned his shirt up. The two sat in comfortable silence until Harry stood up and offered a hand to help Draco up as well. The blonde-haired boy was tempted to pull Harry on top of him again, but knew that they should get out of the attic before someone came looking for them. As the boys were walking down the stairs, Draco turned to Harry.

"You said the other day that you'd tell Granger and the Weasleys about us. You _promised._ Harry, you're my boyfriend, I want to _treat_ you like my boyfriend without you worrying about being caught." As if to prove his point, Draco slammed Harry into the wall at the bottom of the staircase and pressed their lips together. Harry's eyes opened wide, but he responded quickly, leaning into Draco's touch just before the Slytherin pulled away. Harry glared, although the effect wasn't as potent as he would have liked.

"Tease," He accused with amusement. Draco shrugged.

"I won't deny it," The Slytherin said with a seductive wink. Harry rolled his eyes and slid from Draco's grasp to continue walking down the hall.

"You know, maybe it'd be better if we just…show them," Harry mused, but his friend shook his head.

"Tell them first, then if need be, we can show them. With pleasure." The silver-eyed boy smirked, the classic, I-am-up-to-no-good smirk. Harry couldn't help but don one himself, which got the two of them a few odd looks when they walked down the stairs and were greeted by the other three guests in the house, all of which looked suspicious.

"Where have you two been?" Ginny demanded. Draco gave her the why-the-hell-would-you-care-and-why-would-I-tell-you look, but Harry willingly supplied the information.

"In the attic, looking through some of the old gadgets in there." The Slytherin in the house was impressed; while he could have seen through the lie even if he hadn't known where they had been, the others fell for it. Maybe Harry wasn't such a bad liar after all. _Sill, he can't beat me,_ Malfoy thought with another smirk.

Making as if to leave the room, Draco brushed past Harry and whispered in his ear.

"Tell them…now," He said, then, as if nothing had happened he continued to glide up the staircase with his elegant swagger. Harry cleared his throat and sat down on the footstool.

"So, did…er… you guys find anything interesting in the library?" He asked, suddenly nervous. Hermione's face lit up in the way it always did when she found another stack of 'fascinating' books ten stories high.

"Oh yes! The Black's have the most _extensive_ collection of books on the Ring Of—"

"Yeah, Hermione found lots of books that she finds fascinating. Did you have something else to tell us, Harry?" Ginny pressed, ignoring Hermione's glare at being interrupted. Harry looked down at his feet and took a breath. This could very well be the last moment of peace, quiet and calm this house would see for another half an hour or so.

"Er…yeah. Sorta. Yeah, there's something I need to tell you guys. Please just listen, and try not to start shouting when I'm finished." He paused a bit to see their reaction. Ginny looked eager, Ron looked a bit uninterested, and Hermione held a bit of suspicion around her.

"Is this something like the last bit of news you gave us? You know 'Oh yeah, by the way, Draco Malfoy's staying with us here too'. Because if it is, you really should excuse the shouting," Ron said with a smile. Harry laughed nervously.

"Actually, it is a bit like that. Er…"

"Go on, Harry. You know that we won't—"

"I know, Hermione. Thanks though. So…what would you all say if I told you that Draco and I were a bit…_more_ than friends?" Harry said in a rush, bracing himself for the shouting. Instead there was silence. He didn't know which was worse, the yelling, or the accusing silence that roared in his ears. He heard Hermione take a deep breath.

"Are you insinuating that you are…romantically involved with Malfoy?" She asked, hesitantly, as if she didn't really want to know the answer. Harry just nodded. Ron seemed to recover himself.

"I would laugh and say that that's a good prank. That's what it is…right?" He asked.

"No. I'mdatingDraco, it's true," Harry said, slurring his words together to make them almost unintelligible. Silence ensued once again.

"You've _got_ to be kidding," Ron ventured, refusing to believe what Harry had just told him. Fighting the urge to sigh in frustration Harry just shook his head. Finally Hermione stood up.

"You can't do that, Harry. You know it. It's _dangerous_ for you," She said, getting straight to the point. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I can't? Well, I am," He said, almost sharply. "It might be dangerous for me, but _he's_ the one who's on the run from Death Eaters! It's dangerous for him too. Do know what they would do to him if Lucius Malfoy found out?" Harry demanded.

"Harry, if he is captured, you would go after him—"

"I would go after _any_ of you. Does that mean _our_ friendship is dangerous?" Harry argued. Hermione bit her lip, seeing the truth of Harry's words. But Ron eagerly filled the silence.

"I can't believe it, Harry. You _hate_ Malfoy, you have since you set eyes on him seven years ago! And all of a sudden you're _dating_ him? That's mental! _You're_ mental. He's a _Death Eater_, for Merlin's sake. He'll turn you over to You-Know-Who the second he has you alone," The Weasley boy yelled hotly, jumping to his feet to stand next to Hermione.

"We've _been_ alone together for over two weeks, Ron. I'm still here, aren't I?" Harry asked.

"He's probably been feeding information on you to his father. Why did you ever let him in when he came to your flat some time ago? He's been plotting all along to turn you over to You-Know-Who!" Ron argued.

"No he's _not_!" Harry shouted, also standing up so Ron wouldn't tower over him so much. "And I let him come in because for the first month of the summer his father put him through _torture_!" Harry glared fiercely at his friend who looked a bit put off.

"Harry, you and Malfoy aren't right for each other. You're polar opposites, you must realize that," Ginny spoke up in a soft voice, pleading with Harry to see reason. Instead, the Boy-Who-Lived just shook his head.

"No, we're not opposites. And yes, _Draco _and I are right for each other."

"No, you're _not_. _We_, are right for each other, Harry. You and _me_, not you and _him_!" Ginny shouted. Hermione put a hand on her arm in warning; this was no time to bring jealousy into the picture.

"Calm down Ginny. You can't force Harry to care for you in that way, he's too stubborn anyway. But Harry," Hermione looked back to her friend, "Being involved with Malfoy is a huge complication. What are you going to do when you go back to Hogwarts? Pretend to be rivals? It's too dangerous to do otherwise. He's just a weakness for you."

"_Everyone_ has weaknesses, Hermione. Just because I'm the bloody Boy-Who-Lived doesn't mean I can't have weaknesses! Whether you like it or not, I'm still _human_," Harry snapped. Ron shook his head.

"I still can't believe it Harry, _please_ just say that this is all a prank and start laughing about it," The red-haired boy pleaded. Harry was about to respond with a retort when someone else cut in.

"You don't believe it, Weasley?" Draco drawled in that aristocratic voice that no one wanted to argue with. Ron shut his mouth and shook his head defiantly, wondering when Malfoy came in to the room. "Well, what do I have to do to prove it to you?" Malfoy asked with a smirk as he ghosted his hands up Harry's arms and rested them on his boyfriend's shoulder while planting soft kisses up the nape of Harry's neck. Ron turned away in disgust, Hermione blushed and looked a bit uncomfortable, and Ginny looked as if she was going to burst into flames. Draco smirked at her. "Weasleys, Granger," He addressed, "Me and Harry are quite romantically involved, and if I have to shag him on this very floor in front of your eyes to prove it to you, then I will. Not that I really care if you believe us or not, but it might make things simpler," He said boldly, setting a blush in place on all four Gryffindors in the room, Harry included. Then, without warning, Draco spun Harry around and kissed him soundly, forcing his tongue in the Gryffindor's moist cavity and enjoying Harry's faintly suppressed moan.

"Oh that's disgusting! Get _off_ of him, Malfoy!" Ron cried, turning his back to the pair. Hermione held up her hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay, we believe you! Stop…kissing him, Malfoy. Honestly, do that somewhere else," She said, while grabbing one of Ginny's shoulders to keep the girl from hexing Draco back to Malfoy Manor. She looked as if she was about to. Reluctantly, Draco released Harry and looked to the three other teens in the room.

"Excellent idea, Hermione," He said. Promptly, Draco grabbed Harry and pulled him down the hall into the library, laughing softly.

* * *

And the truth is revealed…;) Lucius has entered my plot-line once again!

Thanks again to those of you who reviewed the last chapter; feel free to do so again! I'm really enjoying writing this story, and it's wonderful to hear that you guys enjoy reading it!

-The Wykkyd


	20. New Arrival

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

I'm really impressed with the number of reviews I've been getting from you guys lately. They're helping me update faster, actually. So, continue!

Chapter 20 of **Catalyst**- New Arrival

* * *

He should have known they would try to talk him out of it. And sure enough, they did. But they didn't succeed. Ron was a bit annoyed with him because this was 'The Ferret' they were talking about, and because he had hurt Ginny. Ginny was angry because she wanted to have Harry. And Hermione was angry because she thought Harry didn't understand the dangers. Harry in turn was about to get angry because his friends were _not_ listening to him.

"Hermione, I _understand_ the dangers! So does Draco. But you know what? I don't care about that. My life will _always_ have dangers in it; if you want to get rid of all the dangers in the world, you might as well just blow the whole thing up!" Harry exclaimed, pacing back and forth in front of Hermione who was sitting on the couch next to Ron. Harry didn't know where Ginny was, and he was too worked up right now to care.

"But Harry," Hermione whined, "You-Know-Who will be livid when he finds out you're…_dating _his right-hand-man's _son_!"

"It doesn't matter. Me and Draco are involved in the very center of this war; that can't be changed any time soon. Trust me. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed," Harry finished, silencing both his friends with a glance and walking calmly out of the room. He heard Hermione sigh and Ron start to rant as he walked up the stairs to his room. He had already 'said' goodnight to Draco, although it really hadn't involved any words. And of course, Draco had made sure to do it right in Ginny's face, which Harry feared he would pay for later. But now, he was too tired to care.

As Harry changed into loose flannel pants and stripped off his shirt he glanced at the small alarm clock near his bed, which was resting on a large, open book. Not remembering what title it was, Harry looked a bit closer, and realized that it was that illegal book on 'core magic' he and Draco had been discussing the other day. The subject had intrigued him then, and truthfully, it still did. Part of the book was just the history of magic itself, which Harry found fascinating because he had never truly known what magic had evolved from. _I should probably pay more attention in Professor Binn's class,_ Harry thought as he picked up the book and lay down on his bed, flipping to a random page.

The page focused on the actual core of the wizard or witch. Harry read with interest as he learned that every drop of magic in a wizard was stored in the core, which you should be able to access mentally. _I don't remember one of the Professors mentioning that to me,_ the Gryffindor student thought with interest as he put the book back on the nightstand and lay down, taking his glasses off. On whim, Harry closed his eyes and fully relaxed into the bed, focusing all his concentration on his magic. He wanted to find his core; he wanted to _feel_ the magic in him.

Slowly, and not so surely, Harry descended into his magic, relying on his instinct to know if something was wrong. He could feel the layers of it radiating out from his center, which was getting closer. With a sudden rush of strength Harry was submerged into his core, feeling red-hot and ice-cold magic flowing around him. Even with his eyes open, all he could see were red sparks, although when they brushed in and out of his skin, he felt nothing. This was the very center of his magic.

With regret, Harry brought himself back to reality as slowly as he had descended. If he moved too fast he could pull his magic out with him, and drain himself. The emerald-eyed boy sat up, a bit more tired then before, and rubbed his eyes, fighting exhaustion. The excitement of the day's events had distracted him from last night's nightmare that was still lingering in his mind. As Harry stared blankly at the foot of the bed, Ssyn slithered out from underneath the covers and up his arm.

"/_Where have you been all day?/_" Harry hissed softly.

"/_Resssting in the dark; hunting./_" Ssyn replied. Harry fell back into silence, reflecting on the dream again. Draco's words rang in his head as he replayed the whole thing in his mind for the millionth time that day. _"How do you know this didn't involve Voldemort? It could have been something he ordered my father to do."_

Yes, it could easily have been something Lucius was ordered to do. But that wasn't all of it; just that alone didn't explain the strange feeling of hopelessness that Harry had been feeling for a better part of the day. _It seems Voldemort has involuntarily established a connection again. Or maybe it _wasn't_ so involuntary,_ Harry mused, dread overcoming him. _I should have tried harder at occlumency when I had the chance. What if I make a mistake again…like I did at the Ministry…what if someone is killed again because of _my_ mistakes?_ The troubled boy groaned and got off the bed, taking his snake with him. He didn't want to sleep because he knew,just _knew_, that the dreams would come back. Until something was done about them, they would _always_ be back.

"/_You need to sssleep._/" Ssyn hissed from his place on Harry's shoulder. The teen shook his head and sat down at his desk.

"/_No, I can't_/," He replied wearily, his hands covering his face.

"_/You mussst. I will wake you if you dream/,_" The snake offered. Harry smiled grimly.

"_/It won't matter./_"

"/_You_ must_ sleep, Hhharry/,_" Ssyn insisted, nudging Harry's neck a bit with his tail. With a reluctant nod, Harry stood up and stumbled over to the bed, exhaustion blurring his vision and making him slightly dizzy. He all but collapsed on the covers and cast a silencing charm around his bed before fading into a deep sleep that would soon be interrupted.

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At twelve o'clock, Harry woke up screaming and panicked. For several moments he couldn't remember where he was; he could hear distant screams and chilling laughter, felt blood running over his skin, tasted it in his mouth.

Thirty seconds later he was still screaming bloody murder until a piercing, and very real, pain burst from his shoulder. Harry turned to the source of the pain: Ssyn. With a slow hiss the snake retracted his black fangs and slithered closer to Harry's face, looking into the teen's eyes, which were several shades darker and filled with panic and pain.

"/_Hhharry?_/" Ssyn asked in his apathetic voice.

"_/They're getting worse./_" Harry hissed quietly.

----------------------

Ginny felt bad about yesterday, and the days before that as well, but she was also a bit angry. She knew she shouldn't have pushed Harry so far when he made it clear to her after the first time that he didn't want to be with her, but she had never expected _this_. She didn't expect _Draco Malfoy_. She knew that most of her anger was really jealousy; _she_ wanted Harry. She wanted everything about him; was willing to give him so much, but instead he chose _Malfoy_. A Slytherin. A Death Eater's son. And they looked so _damn good_ together; just as natural as it was unnatural. Still, despite her feelings, she knew that she hadn't reacted very well when Harry broke the news to his three Gryffindor friends. And for that she felt as if she needed to apologize and make sure they were still friends. If she couldn't have Harry's love, then she would gladly accept his friendship.

So, early in the morning, just as the others were getting dressed and thinking about breakfast, Ginny walked on light feet down the hall and knocked on Harry's door. She wasn't surprised when there was no answer: if allowed, Harry would sleep until noon. But when she peeked into the room fully expecting to see him on the bed, and instead saw him sitting by the desk with his head in his hands, she was a bit concerned.

"Harry?" She asked quietly, then asked again—louder this time—when he didn't look up. As if startled from a light sleep, Harry jerked upright and looked to her, a strange look in his eyes. Ginny noticed his pale face and dark rings under his eyes instantly and made the necessary connections. In a moment she was at his side, hugging him close to her and asking if he was alright, did he get enough sleep, did he want breakfast…

Harry shook his head three times in answer to her questions, and rested his head on her shoulders, relaxing in her warm touch.

"Oh Harry…why are you suddenly getting these dreams?" Ginny wondered aloud. "Or is it not so suddenly?" The red-haired witch looked at his face again, her eyes asking questions.

"No, the first one like this happened only a night ago. It's sudden. And I don't know _why_ I'm getting them," Harry whispered in a trembling voice. Ginny took a look at him and considered getting Malfoy, knowing that he could provide Harry a bit more physical support then she could.

"Harry, should I go get Mal—Draco?" The boy in her arms just shook his head.

"No, don't. Just…he's alright isn't he?" Harry asked, suddenly looking up at her.

"Er…yeah. He's fine. I walked past him on my way here. I came to apologize for coming on to you like that, and for my reaction yesterday. But that can wait—"

"Apology accepted, Ginny. Don't worry about it. Just…can I be alone for a little while longer? I'll be downstairs in a bit. I think I'll take a shower." Ginny released him with a small, worried smile.

"Sure, just don't drown yourself," She said, only partly joking. Harry shook his head and gave her a reassuring grin that didn't reach his eyes. With a sigh Ginny got up and left the room, taking a last look at her sleep-deprived friend before shutting his door and going downstairs to meet Ron and Draco.

"Hermione's making breakfast in the kitchen," Ron informed her when she looked around for her fellow witch. She rolled her eyes.

"Where else would she be making breakfast, Ron? In the library?" She asked with a laugh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Draco smirk in amusement and patted herself on her back for making the normally-apathetic Slytherin smile, in his own way. Ron blushed in embarrassment and wondered why Ginny got all the clever genes in the family.

"Did you see Harry on your way down?" Ron asked his sister. Ginny nodded and sat down in a large armchair.

"Yeah. He had another nightmare." Both boys were on their feet so fast she didn't even see the transition between sitting and standing. "No! He said he wants to be alone. He's going to take a shower anyway," She dissuaded.

"Is he alright?" Malfoy asked, still not sitting down.

"To be honest—and _no_, you are _not_ running up there as soon as I say this—I don't think he's completely okay. But we'll see how he is when he comes down; he promised me he would." Draco looked torn in half as he looked up the stairs in the direction of Harry's room. In the end, he listened to Ginny and sat back down.

"Did he say anything to you about the dream?" Ron pressed. Ginny paused to think for a moment before answering.

"He still doesn't know why he's getting them all-of-a-sudden, and he asked if… you were alright, Draco," The Weasley girl said, looking at the Slytherin sitting on one of the couches. "It's my guess that he's dreaming about something happening to the both of you. I suppose he hasn't told you anything that happens in the dreams?" Both boys shook their heads.

"He doesn't even like talking about them. They're really shaking him up. I get the feeling that it's _more_ than the dreams though. I mean, hasn't he had those his whole life?" Draco asked the other two. Both nodded, not even noticing that they were holding a civil conversation with Draco Malfoy himself. "I think he's getting emotions…from Voldemort. Has this ever happened before?" Both Gryffindor's eyes widened.

"Why do you think that?" Ron asked. Draco shrugged.

"He's acting differently then he was a few days ago. He's quieter, really serious, and he's easily provoked. It doesn't take much to get him worked up. Sometimes his eyes change color, just for a second. They get really dark, almost black." Draco paused a bit before continuing. "I've been around Voldemort quite a bit. I _know_ the man as much as anyone. He's been acting like that this summer, from what I…remember. Irritable, angry, frustrated, completely focused on whatever plan he's working on. His eyes can change like that too; from red to black, but just for a moment. You hardly know if you actually saw it, or if you're imagining things. I don't think his initial plan worked out, and he's frustrated because of it. I believe I asked if this has ever happened before?" Draco asked again. Ron and Ginny exchanged a glance.

"Yes. During fifth year Harry's scar would hurt when You-Know-Who was feeling especially happy or angry. He would dream about things Voldemort was doing. That was what led to the whole incident at the Ministry, where Sirius, his godfather, died. You-Know-Who may have accidentally established another connection with Harry through these dreams. Which means that what Harry is seeing won't necessarily come true," Ron answered with a somber expression. Just then Hermione entered the room and took in the three teens' grim expressions.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, wiping her hands on an apron that was lightly dusted in flour.

"With Harry," Ginny said. "He had a nightmare." Hermione nodded slowly and was about to reply when she noticed movement at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning Harry, how are you?" She asked in a cheery a voice as she could muster. Her black-haired friend gave her a smile and walked down the stairs. Hermione noticed he didn't look near as bad as he had yesterday morning when she had found him on the couch. His face was its normal tan complexion, his hair was damp from his shower, but still sticking up randomly, and he didn't seem tired at all. Only his eyes that lacked the usual gleam betrayed him, that, and his exhausted walk that more resembled a shuffle. Ginny stood up and let Harry take her place on the armchair; when he sat down and curled his legs into his chest the chair seemed to swallow his thin body up. The red-haired girl looked at him sternly.

"I know you're wearing a glamour, Harry," She accused. Harry avoided her gaze and played with a stray thread on his shirt. Then he looked up at Hermione and smiled again as he uncurled himself.

"I'm fine guys. It's not a big deal; definitely not my first nightmare. I'll get over it," He said with an unconvincing smile as he rose from the chair. Gently, hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him down onto the couch to stare directly into Draco's eyes.

"Don't waste your magic, Harry. You can take off your glamour. It's not necessary anyway," Draco said softly, holding Harry close. Malfoy glanced at the other three who were watching this exchange silently, giving them a look that clearly said to get out of the room. When they were gone, Draco stood up, Harry still in his arms. "You know, if my memory serves me—which it does—this is the second time I've carried you up these stairs," Draco commented lightly as he reached the top step.

"I _can_ walk you know," Harry grumbled.

"I like holding you," Draco responded, as he opened up Harry's door with a flick of his wand and sat down on the bed, pulling Harry into a lying position. "Glamour, off," He demanded. Giving in, Harry closed his eyes for a moment and pointed his wand at himself. When he opened his eyes, his face was considerably paler and his eyes were ringed with dark shadows. Draco sighed. "What the hell is going on, Harry?" He asked softly, not really asking Harry at all.

"Draco, I don't know. You know that. I don't even know why I'm feeling like this!" Harry exclaimed. Malfoy raised an eyebrow in question. "Feeling…frustrated for no reason, depressed…And then there's this feeling of hopelessness. That whatever I need to do isn't working. I was completely fine two days ago. I just don't understand. It doesn't make sense."

"Yes, actually, it does. Listen Harry, I have a theory about that. I was discussing it with the Weasleys earlier. I think…that you and Voldemort have established a connection in which you're feeling what he's feeling. I don't think it goes both way, but even if it did, he's just getting his own emotions thrown back at him. Weasley, er, Ron, told me this happened during fifth year at Hogwarts." Harry nodded glumly.

"Yeah, it's happened before. Only that time I wasn't directly _experiencing _the emotions. So this is a bit different," Harry answered.

"Is there anything we can do about it?"

"I don't think so; I can't learn occlumency from a book very well. Unless Voldemort is given a reason to feel happy all-of-a-sudden, I'm not going to be very good company for a while." Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, and the Gryffindor reciprocated by shifting a bit to slid his arms around Draco's waist, burying his head in the Slytherin's chest. "Hey, is your chest and back completely healed? Are you still sore?" Harry asked suddenly.

"It's healed. Been so for several days," Draco replied, choosing not to tell Harry about the 'encounter' with Mad-Eye on their first night here at Grimmauld Place. Harry snuggled closer and Malfoy hoped he would fall asleep; the boy looked as if he was about to pass out from exhaustion, and yet he wouldn't willingly let himself sleep. When Harry looked back up at him, Draco leaned down and pressed his lips gently against his boyfriend's. Harry responded eagerly, letting the taste of desperation in the kiss distract him for a moment. "Get some sleep, Harry. I'll be right here," Draco whispered against Harry's lips, letting the raven-haired boy curl into his chest.

--------------------------

"Coli! Bring me the knife," A cold voice snapped to a trembling house elf standing just behind him. With a terrified squeak, the creature ran over to a table and retrieved the knife for her master, who grabbed it with a flick of his wrist. Everything was in place, he had already taken the blood potion, and he had mixed another to take just after making the small incision on his arm. The knife was hovered just millimeters from his pale skin, when a cold voice spoke.

"What is this?" Lord Voldemort demanded, sweeping into the room amidst a sea of black robes.

"The answer to the mission you have assigned me to," Lucius answered calmly, resenting this interruption. He was so _close_ to finding his blood-traitor of a son.

"A blood link spell? You hope that your blood will lead you to Malfoy Junior?" The Dark Lord asked, although his question was blatantly rhetorical. Lucius nodded stiffly anyway. "We have no time for this now. You realize that a spell such as that could weaken your powers for days, or until you find Draco?" Voldemort snarled. Lucius wisely chose not to answer. "I cannot spare any of my men, especially not _you._" The pale man with black hair standing in front of Lucius brought a boney finger up to trace Lucius's jaw line, running it down to his chin, then up to brush against the Death Eater's lips.

"But…Draco…" Lucius protested feebly, trying his best not to shudder at the frigid touch of his master.

"Draco is but a boy, yes, a powerful young wizard, but weakened by fear. He isn't brave enough to be of any annoyance at this time. I thought I told you that I want all our power to be spent tracking down the Potter boy. He's managed to evade us long enough. And with the start of term at Hogwarts…That old school isn't so safe without their precious Dumbledore," Voldemort spoke softly, an insane gleam dominating his red eyes that made his follow before him turn his gaze away.

"My former son could still—" A sharp, stinging pain in his face stopped Lucius's train of thought. His cold, silver eyes snapped to the Dark Lord, defiance shinning in them.

"You are _not_ to go after your son until I give you direct permission. Until then, you will wait, and you will receive orders later concerning young Harry Potter. Do not disappoint me a second time, Lucius," Voldemort snapped, lowering his hand and striding from the room, leaving a furious Lucius Malfoy behind him. Just before the man passed through the doorway, he turned. "Lucius, will you go against my orders?" He asked. There was a long pause before the blonde-haired man spoke.

"No…Master." Voldemort smirked and turned his back.

--------------------------

Several hours later, Draco and a better-rested Harry were sitting on the couch, Harry in-between Draco's knees with his back pressed into the Slytherin's chest. Draco was studying a potion—he wouldn't tell Harry which one it was—and Harry was content to simply be near Draco and watch Ron and Ginny battle out a chess game. Suddenly the fire roared up, the flames turning green. Realizing that someone was flooing in, Harry and Draco sprang apart, Harry ending up on the floor. Just after the two boys had separated and Draco had put his indignant mask back on, Remus, Mad-Eye Moody and someone else entered the room. Harry picked himself off the floor to see who it was. Suddenly Harry's eyes widened, and Draco, seeing his reaction, turned to the visitors as well.

"Severus!"

* * *

I thought that another Slytherin in the house might be a little interesting…

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'd LOVE to hear everyone's thoughts about this chapter, or the story in general! Please review!

-The Wykkyd


	21. Mysterious Complication

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

You guys broke 400 hundred reviews! WOW! I love you all! These reviews seem to be helping me update faster, actually. So, continue!

Chapter 21 of **Catalyst**- Mysterious Complication

* * *

Severus Snape dusted off his robes and looked around the living room of Grimmauld Place with an apathetic face. He never should have agreed to help the Order, even if it cut his years in that damn ministry cell in half. Suddenly, a joyful and shocked cry came from somewhere in front of Remus. Not really the welcome he had expected…then again, he didn't expect Draco Malfoy to be here. The young wizard stopped just in front of Severus, obviously torn between keeping the Malfoy mannerisms he was raised with, or flat-out hugging his godfather. After a brief argument with himself, the later option won out and Malfoy threw his arms around Severus' neck.

"You're alright!" Draco said, completely forgetting his calm and apathetic mask. Now his face sparkled with joy and happiness. Harry watching with something akin to shock and amusement as Draco was brought to life—figuratively—showing more emotion then he had in the last several weeks combined. Not to mention _happy_ emotion.

"You're _alive_," The potions master commented, returning Draco's embrace stiffly.

"I'll explain later," Malfoy Junior said, releasing his godfather and stepping back. "For now, I'll let you get to your business." Snape smiled a bit and nodded.

"Stand back, _Malfoy_," Moody spat, grabbing Severus's arm roughly and attempt to drag him down the hall.

"Shut up, Mad-Eye," Draco snapped with a trademark sneer, and the potions master yanked his arm out of the auror's grasp.

"I believe it would be prudent to let me walk on my own, Alastor," Snape remarked dryly as the two of them disappeared down to the study. Remus sat down on the couch next to Harry and politely inquired if everyone was doing alright, and if they were ready for school, which started in four days.

"Yes, we're all fine, Remus. Er…can you tell us why Snape is here?" Harry asked, getting straight to the point. The werewolf sitting next to him chuckled.

"You don't need to know details, but he's agreed to work with the Order once again in return for his sentence in jail to be cut to five years. He _was_ in the Inner Circle, so he has information that I'm sure the Order could use. Other than that, I'm forbidden to tell you anymore."

"He's not _staying_ here, is he?" Ron asked, looking as if he feared the answer. Draco glared at him.

"No, Severus spends his nights in the Ministry, guarded at all times, of course. But he'll be doing research here during the day, with another Order member," Remus answered. The five students gathered around him nodded, four of them with a bit of uncertainty. _Perhaps Snape could help me with occlumency again…maybe…_ Harry thought. The prospect of dealing with that ordeal again wasn't thrilling, but he would do anything to block these frustrating emotions out of his mind. Let alone the nightmares. Draco glanced at him, obviously thinking along the same lines, as he shifted a bit closer to Harry and grabbed his hand. Remus smiled a bit at the two of them together. They made an excellent couple. Ginny still looked a bit less-than-overjoyed, but he assumed that would pass over by the time she was back at Hogwarts. He couldn't help but notice Harry seemed much quieter than normal, and if he wasn't mistaken, a bit paler too. The werewolf sent a look to Draco, but the Slytherin's eyes were elsewhere.

"Well then, I suppose you should be in the study with Moody and Snape then, we'll leave you to it," Hermione said with a smile. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" She offered.

"Why don't you and Ginny bring some coffee for the three of us? I'll have mine with lots of cream, Moody's with sugar, and Severus…" Remus trailed off, not sure how Snape liked his coffee, if he even drank it.

"Black. No cream or sugar," Draco supplied.

"Yes. I suppose you would like to have a chat with Severus sometime today," Remus asked, knowing the answer. Draco simply nodded, although you could see the excitement and hopefulness in his eyes. Moony smiled, "I shall arrange it with him then." Draco gave him a rarely-seen smile and whirled around to envelop Harry in a bone-crush hug.

"As much as I enjoy the feeling of my ribs being compressed far past the normal abuse, you can lighten up a bit, Draco," Harry gasped out with a smile on his face. The smile was quickly covered with Draco's lips. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see the other three occupants of the room blush and rush to set up another chess game. Finally, Draco broke away, a crazed smile lighting up his face. Harry raised an eyebrow, wondering what brought that on. "Should I be worried?" He asked slowly.

"Harry, you don't understand! Sev is here! Sev is _here_. I get to talk with him!" Draco said joyfully in an outburst of happiness that Harry had never seen on Draco's face. "Oh god, he's alright. I thought for sure that the ministry would put him through—" The Slytherin trailed off, joy and relief in his eyes. Harry wrapped his arms around the blonde's thin form, and pulled him into his chest.

"The ministry doesn't do torture," Harry assured his boyfriend, knowing that that was what Draco was thinking about.

"Azkaban does, and the ministry used to control that," The Slytherin pointed out. Harry didn't have an answer to that.

----------------------

After the incident with the truth potion the other night, Draco had moved the repaired cauldron and salvaged potion ingredients to one of the spare rooms in the South Wing. Now, the Slytherin student was hunched over the cauldron, carefully adding ingredients according to his potions manual that was floating midair just off to the side. A knock on the door made him straighten up and admit whoever was there.

"Yes?" He asked, glancing back at the hovering book before adding the next ingredient.

"Keeping up with your potion studies then, I presume?" A dry voice drawled. Draco looked up to meet the onyx gaze of his potions professor.

"Sev!" He exclaimed, giving the man another hug.

"Really, Draco, you don't need to embrace me every time you see me," The man said, although it was clear he didn't really mind Draco's affections. "Careful, if you wait too long before adding the pixie wings, the potion won't be as potent," Snape warned, taking a look at the bubbling silver liquid. Draco nodded slightly and went back to his job. "May I inquire as to why you're concocting a dreamless sleep potion?" Severus asked.

"It's for Harry."

"_Harry_?" Snape asked, one black eyebrow raised.

"Yes, he's been having dreams."

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for the boy. As far as I'm concerned, those dreams of his could be useful if he took the time to interpret them," The potions master commented harshly, handing Draco the next ingredient as well as a silver spoon to stir with.

"These ones aren't helpful Sev. Not at all."

"Maybe you should start from the beginning. I do believe you haven't told me why you are here at all," Severus said, very curious as to why his godson was calling Potter by his first name, as well as _worrying _about him. Draco sighed quietly.

"After I escaped Malfoy Manor, I went to the only place I could think of…" And thus the long story began.

----------------------

Harry's vision was once again obscured by red sparks and magic. His core was wrapped around itself in a complex maze of threads, each glowing their own brilliant shade of red or gold. But among the central threads, there were two dark ones. He could feel their foreign power; Voldemort's power. One thread was the link to Voldemort's emotions, and the other…Harry paused. He didn't know what it was. This strand was much thinner than the first, and didn't feel as foreign, although it definitely came from Voldemort.

With a weary sigh, Harry rose out of his magic and he sat up, waiting for his vision to clear. _That's it!_ he thought triumphantly. _I get rid of those dark threads…our connection is broken. It's so…simple._

Potter rose off the bed and walked to the door of his room, opening it and stepping into the hall. He heard faint voices from the South Wing and followed them until he came to the room Draco had adopted for his potion-brewing. Recognizing the voices as Draco's and Snape's, he pressed his ear lightly to the closed door.

"You. And Potter. Are you sure?" That was Snape's disbelieving voice. Harry could picture Draco rolling his eyes.

"Well, normally you don't go around snogging people if you're not 'together', as you so eloquently put it," Came the younger Slytherin's reply. Snape let out a loud sigh.

"You are putting yourself in more danger by affiliating yourself with Potter in that way, you do realize this?" There was a small pause, "I trust I cannot persuade you to forget about this whole affair and simply distance yourself from Potter?"

"Sev, really. I know you're not completely against this relationship. If you were, you would have killed either me or Harry already," Draco said.

"Mmmm. I see some…improvements in your character, Draco. I can only assume this is because of Potter. So, you are correct. I am not completely against your relationship, although do not get me wrong, I'm not about to bless the both of you and throw rice in the air," Snape drawled, and Harry had to bite his lip hard enough to bring tears to his eyes to keep from laughing out loud and thus being discovered. He couldn't imagine Snape actually throwing rice around, but it made a fairly amusing image if he thought about it.

"I don't remember asking you to. But you aren't going to give Harry a hard time while you're here. He's got enough on his mind."

"Draco, pay attention to the potion! There, if that hadn't been added…" Snape trailed off. "Anyway, what exactly _does_ the Chosen One have on his mind? Surely not anything less frivolous than the start of term in six days," He said with a sarcastic tone. Harry glared at the door.

"Severus, he's got a _war_ on his mind. He's got several peoples _deaths_ on his mind. That and he's been getting those dreams…"

"If I'm not mistaken, it does seem like you're worried about him," Severus commented with the faintest touch of amusement in his voice. Harry heard Draco sigh.

"Why shouldn't I be? He's my boyfriend. The first person I've actually cared about in that sort of way—"

"Figures you'd pick some important, famous, wealthy, bratty, and mentally unstable boy to be your boyfriend," Snape said in an undertone. Malfoy cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, I have plenty of reasons to be worried about him. He's feeling the Dark Lord's emotions Severus! That's _not_ good. You have to agree with me."

"I'm not rethinking my ideas of the boy."

"You have to! Harry is not the brat you saw in his father! I_ know_ the only reason you despise him is because of what his father did to you. Lucius used to talk about it sometimes. Let it go; see Harry for who he really is," Draco said, standing up for Harry, which made the eavesdropping Gryffindor to smile a bit.

"And just _what_ are you asking me to see in the boy?"

"That he's _tormented._ And that he's more than messy black hair and round glasses," The Slytherin boy reasoned. Snape huffed, but Draco felt that he had won the argument. Harry heard the swish of robes and the jiggle of the doorknob just in time to leap away from the door before it opened swiftly and he was confronted by Professor Snape.

"Eavesdropping, Potter?" The tall man growled. Harry shook his head.

"Not in the least, _Professor_." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could catch himself. Snape's eyes opened in surprise, and Harry inwardly cringed. Openly mocking a teacher, Death Eater, and enemy of sorts wasn't a good idea at the moment. The Gryffindor's eyes flicked to Draco, who was leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, a confident, and rather proud, smirk on his face.

"I do believe I _am_ beginning to influence you, Harry," The blonde-haired boy said. Harry sneered, his eyes shining with amusement and Snape's eyebrows rose a bit higher. There was a rather awkward silence, with Draco staring at Harry, Harry fighting the urge to blush, and Severus glancing back and forth between his former students. Finally Harry broke the silence.

"Er…Sna—Professor, are you teaching at Hogwarts this year?" The Gryffindor asked a bit cautiously. The black-haired man glared a bit.

"Of course not, Potter," He snapped, "I'm in ministry confinement. Surely you aren't so incompetent—"

"Sev," Draco warned, the captured Death Eater and sighed, turning around while mumbling something about having better things to do than talk with intolerable teenagers. When he had gone, Draco turned back to Harry and pulled him close, on thin arm snaking its way around the Gryffindor's slim waist. "He's not that bad once you get past his mask, you know." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Right, somehow, I doubt that that's going to happen anytime soon." Draco looked at him from the corner of his eye, and Harry sighed. "Fine, I won't snap at him…_if_ he doesn't make my life a living hell," Harry compromised, putting a hand on Draco's back.

"We only have six days left anyways."

"Then let's make it something to remember," Harry whispered, capturing Draco's lips in a heated kiss. When Draco pulled back a bit, they both smiled.

"As much as I'd like to jump you right here, I have something for you," The Slytherin whispered softly, pulling his boyfriend into the room behind them with a smile. The potion was simmering slightly, and silvery-blue jets of steam were emitting from it. Draco unwrapped himself from Harry and dipped a ladle into the potion and held a small glass vile to the lip of the utensil. With a steady hand he poured the potion into the container, corked it, and handed it to the Gryffindor. "Drink it tonight, just before you go to sleep. It should help with the dreams." Harry took the bottle from his hands with a grateful smile.

"Dreamless sleep, correct?" The emerald-eyed boy asked.

"I suppose you've used it before," Draco assumed.

"Yeah. Madame Pomfrey's got a thing for it," Harry answered. Draco gave him a crooked smile.

"So, were you outside this door to listen to me and Sev's conversation, or did you actually have something to tell me?" Harry leaned against the wall, pocketing the vile.

"A bit of both. More to tell you something. I…found out a way to disconnect myself from Voldemort. Well, I think I did."

"Harry, that's fantastic!" Draco exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and spinning the two of them around in an uncharacteristic, but still aristocratic, way. "That's really, really great." Harry smiled at Draco's joyful outburst and returned the enthusiastic embrace.

-----------------------------

"Proceed, Lucius. You have done well. I'll leave you to your present task." The gleam in Lucius's eye betrayed him for the madman he really was. Being a loyal Death Eater, imprisoned, and tortured for a year could do that to you. Killing people mercilessly and brutally could put you through the doors to mild insanity. The blonde-haired Death Eater nodded to his master and let his silver eyes sweep over his desk one more time, making sure everything was ready. The silver knife and dish had been laid out by the house elf, and the blood-red potion was waiting to be taken just after he performed the spell. Malfoy Senior grasped the knife in his left hand, in order to make the cut in his right arm. Without a moment's hesitation, he plunged the gleaming blade into his arm, watching with morbid fascination as the glistening droplets of blood pooled around the wound and dripped into the dish below. A small ring lay in the bowl, its pure silver emblem contrasting starkly with the blood.

Small black tendrils began to float up from the ring as Lucius spoke a string of Latin words, curling over and mixing among themselves until they grew to reach the Death Eater's arm. Their touch was warm, and faintly familiar. Like Draco's touch. He waited patiently until the black strands surrounded his arm and seeped into the bleeding laceration, disappearing from view. The ring was glowing faintly now, and when Lucius put it on, he could feel a slight tugging. The ring just barely fit on his smallest finger, it had been Draco's ring; a gift from Narcissa for his sixteenth birthday. He had worn it almost everyday of his sixth year, until Voldemort took him back.

With a slightly shaky right hand, Lucius grasped the small vile of potion and drank it quickly. Instantly, the wound in his arm closed up, but he could feel his son now. Wherever Draco was, he would soon be found. The essence of the boy would lead him straight to Draco's door.

-----------------------------

The five students, Remus, and Severus were eating dinner in silence. Ron, Hermione and Ginny still weren't quite comfortable with talking to Draco, and no one else had anything to say to anyone else that could be said with the others listening. Draco lifted his fork to his mouth gracefully, keeping his face blank and not giving away the awkwardness of the situation. Suddenly, pain flashed in his arm, causing him to drop the fork onto his plate with a clatter. He barely managed to keep a cry of shock from escaping his lips. At first he thought his mark was flaring up again, but the pain wasn't in his left arm. It was his right. The pale boy looked up to see that everyone was staring at him with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"If you'll excuse me," He said eloquently, rising from his seat and griping his right arm in a death grip. He began to move from the room, but Severus and Harry jumped up.

"Let me see your arm," Snape demanded in a clipped voice, not waiting for Draco to raise his limb before grabbing it and dragging Lucius's son into better light. There was a faint red line on his forearm: the source of the pain. Harry bent over the mark, staring at it with worried eyes. He lifted his gaze to meet pools of molten silver, etched with worry.

"Snape, what's going on?" The Gryffindor asked, stepping back a bit. To his surprised, Severus shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Draco, this mark, it's painful?" Draco shrugged and nodded a bit simultaneously. Perhaps Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Remus figured it wasn't all that bad, but both Snape and Harry knew that this was simply Draco's reaction to pain, no matter how much it hurt. The mark hurt much more than it seemed. Severus suddenly dropped Draco's arm and swept from the room, giving Draco a look that clearly said to follow. Harry, not knowing if this invitation included him or not, turned a bit to go back to his seat, but he was stopped by a hand slipping into his and tugging him out of the room. Harry gave the Slytherin's hand a supporting squeeze.

"It'll be fine, Draco," Harry whispered as he slid his right arm around Draco's waist and pulled him close. _I hope so_…

* * *

Well, writing Snape is a bit new for me, and I'm not completely satisfied with how he came out, but it's nothing major. A bit of reassurance to those of you who hate Snape…he's _not_ going to be a horrible guy in this story. But yes, he still is a Death Eater. Think of his time with the Order as 'Community Service'. lol

PLEASE comment! You don't even know how much I like reading your ideas and thoughts. I'll try my best to answer any questions you have as well.

-They Wykkyd


	22. Lucius's Triumph

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

Chapter 22 of **Catalyst**- Lucius's Triumph 

* * *

Draco sat in the library, his throbbing right arm pressed against his chest by his knees and his left arm bracing himself on the couch. A mixture of confusion and fear ran through him when he thought about the mysterious mark on his arm. It was about two and a half inches long, and made the smallest red line on his flesh, yet it stung like a knife-wound. Severus was just as confused as anybody else as to what the strange mark might be; even Hermione had looked at it and shrugged.

The Slytherin had practically forced Harry to bed after making sure he drank the dreamless sleep potion, and now the Gryffindor was indeed sleeping in a potion-induced daze. Still, as much as he knew that Harry needed a good-night's rest, Draco felt a bit lonely in the large house. It was completely silent except for the occasional creaks and groans of the settling walls, or the noise of a tiny mouse's nails scraping across the floors as it scampered on its way.

With a soft sigh that was almost unintelligible, Draco stood up and looked at his right arm, and then his left. Pressing his wand to it, he murmured a spell, and the glamour that had been hiding his Dark Mark fled, revealing the black tattoo and the contrasting white scar. _So much for flawless skin,_ Draco thought with grim smile as he walked out of the library.

In his room, he stripped off his shirt and changed his pants before moving to the desk and picking up a small glass full of some green potion. Snape had promised to leave it there for him after it was done brewing. With a grateful smile, Draco downed the liquid quickly and set the glass back down. Immediately, his throbbing in his arm faded to a small ache.

Stealthily, the Slytherin snuck out of his room and glided down the halls to Harry's corridor. Draco opened the Gryffindor's door silently and let himself into the room, glancing at Harry's sleeping form as he shut it again. The black-haired boy was unmoving underneath the red covers, his face a mix of calm and peace which caused Draco to smile. He lifted up the covers and climbed into the bed next to Harry while he wrapped both arms possessively around the Boy Who Lived.

"We all deserve _some_ peace," Draco whispered, planting the faintest of kisses on Harry's neck before he drifted into sleep.

---------------------------

Harry opened his eyes to stare directly into Draco's sleeping face, finding a mixture of happiness and contentment there. Both the Slytherin's arms were still wrapped around his waist and chest and in turn, Harry pulled the sleeping teen closer to him, resting his head in the crook of Draco's neck.

Draco would be working with Snape today, concocting a plethora of potions that the Order needed for a number of jobs. Harry wished he could help, but it was widely known that he and potions didn't get along. _You can share Draco for today,_ Harry told himself, still wishing that he didn't have to. They only had, Harry glanced at the calendar on the wall, five days until the two of them would have to be fighting in the halls of Hogwarts. _Maybe we can find away to appear friends this year, with Draco on our side and all, _the Gryffindor mused, still looking at his Slytherin boyfriend who had shifted even closer so that their bare chests were pressed together. Suddenly, Harry felt the flutter of eyelashes on his forehead, and lifted his face to meet silver eyes staring back at him.

"You awake?" Harry asked with a cheery smile.

"No," Draco responded sarcasticly. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Great. I actually _slept_." Draco smiled.

"Good," The Slytherin paused in though. "You know, I was thinking a bit last night, you said yesterday that you figured a way to snap this connection with Voldemort. What'd you say it was again?"

"Remember that book that focused on core-magic? Well, I tapped into my core a few times, just to see if I could do it. The second time I tried, I saw dark strands among the red. One of them is thicker than the other; I'm pretty sure that those threads are Voldemort. But I don't know what the thin thread is. It's not so foreign as the first, almost as if it's been in my magic for a long time." Draco closed his eyes in thought. Several moments later he spoke.

"Maybe it has been."

"What?"

"When you were a baby, and Voldemort gave you that scar," Draco reached up and ran a thin finger over Harry's scar, "He gave you a bit of his powers, or magic. No, don't look at me like that. I've known this for years; I was the son of Lucius Malfoy after all. Remember, it's because of him you can speak parseltongue in the first place. So this thread has probably been in your magic since the night he tried to kill you." Harry nodded slowly, thinking about this. "I suppose you're thinking that if you destroy these bonds, you won't be connected to Voldemort anymore," Draco glanced up at Harry to confirm this, the Gryffindor nodded. "If I were you, I'd only get rid of the larger one, because the thread that's been in you since you were an infant is now a part of you. I don't think you want to get rid of it; does that make sense?"

"Yeah. It does. Do you think it'll be hard to do? Destroy the connection?"

"Not really. Because this is _your _magic surrounding it, it should be fairly easy to get Voldemort's magic out. You have much more control in your core than he does. The hardest thing to do is going to be controlling yourself enough so you don't let all of your magic go at once." Harry looked at him. "That means you die." The Gryffindor rolled his eyes.

"I'm not _that_ thick, Draco." The blonde-haired teen smirked a bit and raised his eyebrows, then sat up, pulling Harry reluctantly with him.

"I have potions to work on today. Sev's going to be here by ten."

"Oh, have a nice time," Harry replied nonchalantly, falling back into the bed covers with a smile on his face. There was no _way_ Draco was going to let him go back to sleep, but he could always hope.

"Harry, get up!" Came the Slytherin's voice from the other side of the room. Harry groaned.

"_I'm_ not the one who has to spend the day slaving away," He said.

"Not with potions, but you should talk to Hermione about your idea. I'm sure she'd _love_ to do research for you on the subject of core magic." Harry could practically _hear_ the smirk in Draco's voice.

"No, she'd make me do research with her."

"That doesn't matter. What I'm saying is that you are going to try and break the bond with Voldemort sometime. And it shouldn't be while you're at school." Harry groaned again and pulled his head out from under the covers.

"You're going to hate me saying this, but you and 'Mione are really similar. Way too organized, practical, logical, and prioritized." Draco shrugged, and surprisingly didn't comment on being compared to the 'mudblood'.

"Get up Harry…unless I have to make you?" The Slytherin asked slyly, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Harry blushed and sat up.

"Not that I don't want your attentions…" He replied with a small smile.

"No, you _need_ my 'attentions', Potter," Draco retorted without a pause, and swept from the room. Before he had taken two steps, Harry was across the room and had grabbed his wrist, pulling him back inside the room. Draco's eyes were a bit wide with surprise when Harry pushed him up against the wall and slammed his lips forcefully upon the Slytherin's, but it didn't take long for the teen to respond, soon forcing his tongue between Harry's lips.

By the time the two let their lips drift away from each other's, Draco's right hand had tangled itself in Harry's hair, and his left hand was clutching the boy's bony hip. Harry's left hand was holding the Slytherin to the wall, pushing on his chest, and his other hand was splayed out near Draco's head, keeping him from crushing the blonde teen. Both boys were breathing hard, their eyes still fused together by invisible threads. Neither one could deny the sparks that they could feel passing between them, hot breath ghosting across their faces, lips swollen and red, chests rising up and down in perfect symmetry. Finally Harry dropped his hands and Draco followed suit.

"I'll see you at breakfast," The Slytherin whispered, then left the room to go change. Harry shook his head a bit, to get rid of that lightheaded, I-just-snogged-the-most-gorgeous-guy-I-know feeling and went over to his dresser.

When Harry walked into the kitchen he found Remus there sitting down with a cup of coffee and talking quietly with the two red-heads and Hermione.

"Hi guys, Remus," Harry said, pouring himself a cup of coffee, adding a dash of cream and joining the four at the table.

"Morning Harry, we were just talking about school. You've got five days left of freedom. And, we need to get your school books and robes and such. Here, you got your letter today." Remus picked up a letter and handed it to the black-haired Gryffindor who glanced at it with interest. He needed a whole new set of books, and another pair of robes. His eyes scanned the list of books quickly.

_Advanced Potions- Manual for the Experienced _(Harry laughed a bit at this)

_Transfigurations- The Study of Animagi_

_How to Transform the Living_

_Advanced Charms and Hexes_

_Healing for the Hopeless_

_Healing- A Beginner's Guide_

Harry stopped reading.

"We're taking healing this year? Is that even an offered class? I've never heard of it before," He commented to Remus.

"Minerva has deemed it a worthy class for sixth and seventh years to take this year, with the war and all. Poppy's teaching it. I think you'll find the subject perfectly fascinating." The werewolf smiled.

"Isn't this thrilling Harry? Healing! Just think of how beneficial that will be for us all! And in Transfigurations we'll be studying Animagi!" Hermione gushed with excitement.

"Think they'll let us try some of it?" Ron asked with interest. Remus shook his head.

"No. Although somehow I have a feeling that that's not going to stop you three," He added with a knowing wink. Hermione looked aghast and instantly started protesting the idea, but Harry and Ron couldn't help but glance at each other, a mischievous look on their faces. Remus turned to Harry. "I haven't talked to Draco about this yet, but I'm assuming he'll be attending Hogwarts again. Am I correct?" Harry nodded, wondering where this was going. He hadn't really considered Draco's details. "Well, the school can't very well deny a student, but they need a parent's signature that says the student is in fact allowed to attend the school." Harry's face fell into an expression of worry and a sinking feeling crept into his stomach.

"Lucius would never give his signature for this year. So, Draco can't go?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. I believe that if you present his…problem with the Order, we could sign the Hogwarts contract in place of Draco's father. Of course, some of them will be hard to convince. At the very least Draco would be kept under surveillance by an auror or two. But Moody's issued twenty aurors to Hogwarts for added security this year, so they'll be watching lots of people. It wouldn't be that noticeable. What do you think about this Harry? You'd be the one presenting Draco's case, because you're closest to him, besides Severus," Remus said. Harry looked down.

"I'll…I'll have to talk to Draco first. I don't mind presenting his case, but he deserves some say in this, I guess."

"Good answer. You can talk to him now if you like, because we'll have to do all this within the next few days," Remus said as he rose from the table. Hermione took his mug and went over to rinse it in the sink. Harry stood as well, nodded at Ron, and left the room with Remus to go talk to Draco. The two walked upstairs to the 'potions room', as it had been deemed, and Remus knocked lightly but sharply on the door. Draco opened it and smiled a bit.

"Hello Harry, Lu—Remus. Can I help you?" Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco's formal tone.

"Actually, Harry needed to talk with you about some school issues. I hope you don't mind Severus," Remus answered, looking at the Death Eater who was standing over a caudron with a contemplative expression on his face.

"Actually, Lupin, I _do_ mind. Draco and I are very busy."

"This is important, Snape. If Draco is planning on attending Hogwarts this year, I suggest you let him speak with Harry," Remus said, dropping the friendly exterior a fraction of an inch and sighing. The two men glared at each other for a few seconds before Snape growled out permission for Draco to go. The two students left side by side, leaving their former professors to speak, or argue, with each other.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" Draco asked. Harry wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and pulled him into a spare room.

"Remus gave me the specifics on your situation at Hogwarts."

"Situation?" Draco asked.

"Well, you know. You're a Death Eater as far as everyone else knows. I guess each student needs a signature from a parent to go to school each year, and well, Lucius probably won't comply with that." Draco frowned. "But, if we mention a few of the details to the Order, Remus said they have authority to sign in place of your father, and then you could go to Hogwarts. I'm sure I could convince them."

"They'd put me under surveillance, wouldn't they?" Draco asked slowly, chewing his lower lip.

"You wouldn't be the only one, you know."

"The Order won't content to anything like that if they still think I'm a Death Eater," The Slytherin commented, banishing the glamour on his left arm with his wand and looking at it.

"Then prove to them you're not," Harry whispered, taking Draco's arm and planting a kiss on the scarred flesh. The blonde-haired teen hunched his shoulders up and pulled the sleeve down uncomfortably.

"I…I don't want to show them this. It's…well, the mark is still there," Draco whispered, running his thumb over the sleeve of his robe. Harry pulled the garment back up, exposing Draco's scar once again.

"It's obvious that you're not a Death Eater any more. This proves it."

"But I can still feel it when Voldemort calls his followers," Draco protested.

"So? Just because it's magic isn't completely gone, it doesn't mean that you're still a Death Eater. Please Draco, show them your mark. It could be the only way they'll let you go to school," Harry pleaded, staring straight into Draco's eyes while still holding the Slytherin's left arm in his hand. Draco paused, thinking. Then he nodded his head, very slowly, as if still reluctant. Harry beamed at him and wrapped Draco in a tight embrace, eventually pulling back a bit to kiss the Slytherin passionately. Draco pulled back after a bit smiling, his doubts erased.

"So…when is this meeting we're having with the Order?" Harry shrugged.

"As soon as possible I guess. Remus said that I would be the one to present the case, but you can be there to show them the proof that you're not a Death Eater anymore. This could officially clear your name too," Harry said. Draco nodded.

"Still, Voldemort and my father are still looking for me. And then there's this strange mark." Draco ran his left hand over the mysterious mark on his other arm. "Snape still has no idea what it is, and Hermione told me this morning that she did research all night and couldn't find anything."

"Can you feel any magic in it?"

"I don't know," Draco said with a shrug. "I have absolutely no idea."

---------------------------

Lucius sighed with frustration and impatience. This bond was finicky. It was easy to tell which direction it seemed to pull him, but he couldn't very well fly right through muggle towns to get there. Apparating and flooing weren't options in his search, because he couldn't tell when the bond would change directions on him, especially if Draco was moving. So far, it appeared as if his son wasn't going anywhere though, because the tug was coming from the north, and never strayed. Malfoy Senior would fly for several hours in the direction of Draco—wherever that was—and stop to rest whenever he wanted to. He knew he was nearing his destination as the bond pulled harder and harder, until it seemed that even if he stopped moving he was being dragged toward his son. Lucius could feel magical barriers that he was passing through, one of the benefits of this blood bond. Even the strongest protection charms out there couldn't separate him and Draco now.

Even though, Lucius was eager to simply find his son, kill the traitor and bring back his dead body to the Dark Lord. He only had five days left until his son would no doubt be trying to get back to Hogwarts for protection.

Suddenly, his broom slowed significantly down and Malfoy felt the horrible prickling sensation that he felt whenever he passed through a barrier or shield. It was as if he had flown straight into a pool of molasses as the magic swallowed him and swirled around his body. _This bond better get me through this,_ he thought with a determined snarl, forcing his broom to go faster. As the Death Eater neared the center of the magic, his vision went white for a moment, until he was spat out on the other side. A bit shaken, Malfoy landed quickly and dismounted the broom, straightening his robes and tidying his wind-blown hair. His grey eyes scanned his surroundings for a bit, deciding if he was safe or not, before he began moving forward in the direction the bond was pulling him. Instinct told him that it would be too risky to fly now. That magical barrier, barriers was more like it, was strong. Very strong. Whatever was near here was something that someone, or something, didn't want anyone else to know about.

His broom held firmly in his large hand, Lucius cautiously let the bond pull him closer to his son until he arrived at the edge to a clearing. Lucius took in a small lake and next to it a large, but not extremely fancy house. As soon as his gaze rest upon it, the tugging in his arm stopped considerably. A malicious smile crossed his face. This had been too easy.

-------------------------

"Severus," Draco said minutes later when he and his godfather were back at work. The black-haired man looked up and noticed the Slytherin student gazing at his pale arm.

"What now?" He asked, although his eyes were crossed with concern.

"The mark on my right arm. It disappeared. I can't feel a thing."

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! I'd love it if you would kindly leave a comment and tell me what you thought!

-The Wykkyd


	23. Die Another Day

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO has been acting a little odd lately, and not keeping up with story updates, so if a few of you didn't get an alert a week or so ago, you might want to go back and review the previous chapter. Just a note.

Chapter 23 of **Catalyst**- Die Another Day

* * *

Lucius Malfoy waited until dark to creep closer to the house. Placing himself under a strong invisibility charm and underneath that, a silencing charm, he was able to sneak in through an open window that apparently led to the living room of the house. _Shabby thing it is_, he thought with a sneer as he took in his surroundings. He had no idea what this place was, or even the exact location, but the almost nonexistent tug was still pulling him. He followed it up the stairs and through the halls, his eyes scanning for any movement, his limbs painfully alert and ready to bolt at the sign of anyone dangerous. Suddenly, the tug changed directions a bit, and Lucius turned to find a door in the end of the dark hallway. Slowly and carefully he opened it, poking his invisible head around the corner and peering into the room.

On his way to the house he had discovered quite a few additional protection spells, and even a damned _animal_ that was trying to keep him from getting in. _Why in Merlin's name would there be a snake like _that _out here_? Lucius thought, thinking back to the large, black snake that he had been forced to stupefy in order to get its fangs out of his now-bleeding leg. Suddenly, Lucius was brought to attention again as something sharp was poked harshly into his neck, and an enraged voice spoke.

"Reveal yourself, or I swear on my own name I will kill you without a second thought," The voice said. Lucius froze, deciding on what to do. In the end, he didn't have much choice. With a whispered, "_Finite Encantem,_" Lucius Malfoy was revealed. A moment later, he was hauled from the room and slammed viciously into a wall across the hall, the face of Severus Snape inches from his own.

"Ah, it's only you, Severus," Lucius commented lightly, his tone out-of-place for the situation. The wand of his fellow Death Eater never left his throat.

"I admit, I'm rather surprised to see you here. Did your master order it?" Snape snarled.

"'_Your_ master?'," Lucius mimicked. "Do you mean to say I must bring word of _another_ traitor back to _my _master?"

"You're here for Draco."

"That's one way to put it." Malfoy Senior felt himself pushed harder into the wall.

"I'll give you one chance to promise you will leave and that you will not return. If not, I'll kill you. You will not touch my godson."

"I beg to differ. That blood traitor _will_ die, and he will die tonight. I have orders, and I'm sure the Dark Lord won't be pleased to hear of _you_ switching sides."

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect Draco. And if it means betraying the Dark Lord, so be it. I have ten years anyway, so it's not as if—"

"We could get you out," Lucius suggested.

"Liar. Tom would never waste his men on any single one of us. Even you, Lucius. The Dark Lord doesn't care about us; if we live or die. He just wants Potter dead. He can promise us the world after Potter's gone, and then he'll kill us all. Your fantasized illusions are forcing you to see a false world, and if you won't realize it, I pity you," Snape snapped. Suddenly he went flying back into the wall, and Lucius had their positions reversed.

"_You_ are the one who sees illusions, Severus. The Dark Lord will raise those faithful to him up beside him when the world is his. Unfortunately, it seems you will be one of the many casualties. _Sectumsempra!_" The Death Eater bellowed, and Snape fell to the floor clutching his bleeding chest.

"Severus!" Someone cried, and Lucius turned to face his long sought-after son, standing in horror just outside the door.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Lucius yelled, his wand pointed directly at Draco and a look of sadistic happiness on his face. Amid the green flash of light, Lucius heard another cry, and a crash. The spell smashed into the wall at the end of the hall, and there was…Harry Potter. "Get out of my way, _Potter_," Lucius snapped, advancing on the boy who was standing in front of Draco, his wand drawn and pointed directly at Lucius. "I will kill you too, if I must."

"No you won't, Lucius. You said yourself that was Tom's privilege, if I remember correctly."

"_Crucio_!" But once again, Harry's seeker reflexes drove him out of the way just in time, pulling Draco with him. The younger Malfoy freed himself from Harry's grasp and sprinted over to his godfather who was lying in a pool of his own blood, his hands still pressed against his chest.

"_Expeliarmus_," Harry yelled, his wand pointed at Lucius, who blocked with "_protego"._

"Why are you helping my son, Potter? He's a Death Eater. He killed your precious Dumbledore; he almost brought down the collapse of Hogwarts. He's done so much for our side, and yet you let him within your sight?" Lucius asked, obviously trying a different angle. Harry wasn't phased at all.

"He's not like _you_, and _that's_ why he's here. I won't let you take him," Harry said. Lucius whispered something and white-hot pain flashed across Harry's cheek. The Boy-Who-Lived brought a hand to his face and pulled it away dripping with blood.

"Torture curse, hurts a lot more than it should, hmmm?" Lucius said, slashing his wand through the air again. Harry ignored the pain that flared across his chest and sent a stunning spell in the Death Eater's direction. In a flurry of blonde hair, Lucius dodged it and sprinted for Draco who was still bent over Severus.

"Draco!" Harry yelled in warning. Draco looked up at him, and emerald fused into silver for just a moment, before Lucius obscured the view.

"I will _kill_ you, boy," Lucius whispered, his voice thick with rage. Draco glared defiantly at his father, his wand clutched in his hand. "But first, I will torture you to an inch of death." Lucius grabbed Draco's left forearm, and the Slytherin boy screamed as his scar split open and the Dark Mark was brought to life once again, pulsing death-black on his white arm, the macabre picture colored by blood.

But Lucius's time-consuming threats had been a mistake. Harry lunged at the three wizards just before they disappeared with a crack. At first, the hero of the wizarding world thought he had been too late. But then he was jerked off his feet and pulled, along with Draco, Lucius, and Severus, into an alter-dimension. Pressure exploded in his ears and crushed his lungs, but just before he passed out from lack of air the ground rushed up to meet his feet and he crumpled over onto stone, his head connecting painfully with a wall in front of him and everything faded around him.

Snape groaned as he was slammed into the ground, Draco falling on top of his wound. Instantly Draco jumped away from his godfather, fearful of causing him more pain. His silver eyes roamed the darkness for Harry, who he saw slumped on a wall several feet away. Slowly, he took in the rest of his surroundings. His father was standing so near him the man was practically stepping on his hands. The room they were in was small, and very, very dark. It smelled musty, like it hadn't been used in years, and the air temperature was cold enough for Draco to be able to see his breath coming from his mouth in quick, small puffs. The Dark Mark on his arm was still throbbing, the blood soaking through the sleeve of his robes. Every fiber in him wanted to crawl over to Harry and make sure the black-haired teen was alright, but he knew that even a small movement would send Lucius on him. It seemed as if the older man was waiting for someone, or something. His eyes were scanning the darkness and glittering with a madman's gleam that sent shivers down Draco's spine. Suddenly the Death Eater moved.

"I must find the Dark Lord, you three can wait here." Draco felt his wand fly from his hand and saw Severus' and Harry's wand fly off their persons as well. Lucius caught all three in his right hand while waving his own with his left. Instantly a large bubble surrounded the three prisoners, cutting off any options of escape. "See you in an hour, my son," The man whispered quietly, although Draco heard every word perfectly. The Slytherin student sent a withering glare at his father's retreating back.

Lucius disappeared into the wall, through some sort of door or another, but Draco couldn't see it because of the darkness. The silence was unbearably oppressive when the door clicked shut. Severus's ragged and pained breathing filled Draco's ears, and the formidable silence that was coming from Harry was terrifying. Draco bent down over his godfather.

"Severus?"

"Draco? Do you know where we are?" The man asked in a raspy, pinched voice. Draco thought. When he had been kept a prisoner, he was kept in a cell that had bars on the front, which had let some light in…occasionally. Still, he was fairly sure that this was a holding cell of some kind.

"No. But we're in a prisoners' cell. Lucius has gone to get the Dark Lord."

"Wands?"

"He has them."

"I suppose we're trapped then," Severus said, then took a shuddering breath, "Where's Potter? Did he show up here as well?"

"Yes. He's over there somewhere. I think he hit his head." Snape made a mocking sound, although it faded into a pained groan. "Are you going to be alright?" Draco asked, trying hard to keep the panic from building up in his chest.

"Possibly. Lucius cast a deep wound. I should be alright for another two hours, maximum." Which meant that they only had two hours to get back to Grimmauld Place. Draco gave a small nod and Snape closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing.

Feeling his way along the floor, and then over to the walls, Draco made his way over to where he thought Harry was. His hand connected with something warm, and he bent down, pulling Harry away from the walls and cradling the boy in his arms.

"Harry?" He whispered, running his hand through the Gryffindor's hair and over his still face. A moment later one green eye cracked open and peered up at him from under dark lashes.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, rubbing his forehead and sitting up as much as possible while still situated in Draco's arms.

"I'm not really sure, but perhaps in the dungeons in Malfoy Manor. Lucius is here."

"And Voldemort?" Harry whispered.

"He's here as well. Are you alright?" Draco asked, cupping Harry's face in his left hand and looking at his forehead through the darkness. The Gryffindor shifted a bit and winced as Draco's finger brushed against his bleeding cheek.

"I'll be fine. Is your scar bleeding?"

"Yes, but I'm fine. Lucius will be back in one hour though, and then…" Draco trailed off, pulling Harry into an embrace and resting his head on the Gryffindor's shoulder. The pain in his arm was dulled by the numbness that was creeping over him from the cold air. He could feel Harry wrapping both his arms around his waist and holding him closer still.

"We'll be fine, Draco. We should—" But Harry was cut off by a ragged gasp coming from several feet away.

"Draco, Potter, come here," The Potions Master ordered softly, his voice thickened by the sound of blood flowing out of his mouth. The young Slytherin dragged Harry over to his godfather's side as fast as possible, praying that Severus wouldn't die. Not here. Not now. Something cold was pressed into his hand, and Draco looked down to see that he was looking at a small, diamond-shaped mirror. He looked back to Snape with confusion in his eyes.

"Portkey. Activate with '_Death's Draught'. _Take Potter. Goes to Snape Manor. Floo to Grimmauld Place," The older man commanded in fragments, taking gurgling breaths in between.

"What about you?" Draco cried, recognizing the un-familiar feeling of tears splashing down his face. He couldn't leave Severus. He _couldn't_. Severus had been there all the times his father hadn't been. He protected him when he was younger, gave him kind words when Lucius wouldn't; he had listened to countless school-boy rants when Draco was frustrated. Snape had taught him everything he could within reason. Severus was the father that Lucius never had been.

"Leave me." Draco's heart stopped for a moment. Even though he had been expecting those words, it was still shocking.

"You'll die," Draco protested, panic beginning to claw its way into his heart.

"Everyone must die sometime, Draco. _Go_."

"No." Draco looked to his right, to see the faint spark of emerald-green glinting inches away. "We're not leaving you Snape. We _won't_," Harry stated before sighing; he honestly didn't know why he was doing this. Snape had all but tortured him at school. Never giving him full marks, never finding anything he did _near_ acceptable. But now that he had the choice to leave this man behind him, he couldn't do it. Enough people would die in this war, but if he could help it, Severus would live to die another day. Harry saw Draco's watery gaze and he smiled a bit, even though he knew Draco probably couldn't see it. The black-haired teen moved his hand over the floor until he caught Draco's fingers, entwining their hands in a reassuring gesture.

"The portkey isn't powerful enough for all three of us. I won't be alive much longer. _Go_." Draco drew in a shaky breath. Lucius had said he would be back in an hour, but Draco had no idea how much time had passed since then.

"Sev, for _once in your life_ could you show a bit of optimism. Say something like 'I'm not going to die,' please. For me. Just _say it_!" Draco said, wiping his tears away. Severus chuckled a bit, but it turned into a cough that sent blood flying. Draco put a trembling hand on his godfather's shoulder in concern. "Please…just say it," He whispered once more, knowing that Severus would never do so. He felt Harry squeeze his hand in comfort just before he was pulled to the other teen's chest.

"We'll be fine," Harry whispered for the second time that night, putting his hand on the back of Draco's neck as the Slytherin cried silently into his chest. The Gryffindor boy could feel blood dripping off his cheek and flowing down his neck, but the blood flow was slowing down considerably. His chest was slightly bruised from Lucius's attack earlier, but that wasn't serious either. Still holding Draco, Harry cursed himself for not being more careful. Lucius had been able to find Grimmauld Place somehow; he should have made sure the wards would let them know of anyone's presence before they entered the house, he should have been more _careful_.

Suddenly voices could be heard from somewhere outside their cell and harsh footsteps paced with them. He could hear the unmistakably Malfoy drawl coming from behind the door. Harry's grip on Draco tightened a bit.

"Harry," Draco whispered softly, sliding out of Harry's arms while still facing him. "Get to Grimmauld with Sev. Make sure he lives. I'll stay here."

"But—"

"_Do it_, Harry. For me. Promise me you'll make sure Severus lives. _Promise_ me," Draco pleaded, never taking his eyes off Harry's. The Slytherin saw the fear and concern in them, the confusion, the pained look flash through them.

"I…promise," Harry whispered. It felt as if his lips formed with words without any consent from his mind, which was screaming not to let Draco stay here by himself. But he saw the look in Draco's eyes… he _would _make sure Snape lived. No matter what, he wouldn't break his promise to Draco. Numbly, he took the portkey from the blonde-haired teen and moved toward his old potions master.

"Harry, one more thing," Draco said, and Harry turned. Draco's lips crashed onto his, and he leaned back a bit before recovering. The Slytherin's hands were wrapped around his shoulders, clutching his robes in a death-grip, while the Gryffindor's own hands slid up his boyfriend's sides, one sliding around to Draco's lower back, and the other moving to the Slytherin's chest. A fierce desperation poured from the two, the heated and passionate kiss filled with the taste of salty tears and the fear that they would never see each other again. Draco's tongue flicked past Harry's lips, feeling the familiar territory that was simply Harry. The blonde-haired teen tasted tears and blood, but the two had never felt so comforting.

Draco pulled away as light flooded into the room, and Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater strode into the room, but not before Lucius saw his own son—blood traitor or not—kissing Harry Potter. He froze, the scene barely registering itself in his brain until he saw Draco push Harry towards Severus, who was, unbelievably, still alive.

"Draco, do what you must, but come back…alive," Harry said, gripping Severus's arm in one hand and the portkey in the other. Draco gave a feeble smile and squeezed Harry's shoulder, a single tear clearing a thin path down his face.

"_Go._"

Harry and Severus disappeared amid a white flash just as blinding pain lanced through Draco, '_Crucio_,' falling from his father's lips.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone, I would love it to pieces if you reviewed this chapter!

-The Wykkyd


	24. Back To Draco

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to TheseBrokenWings, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

Chapter 24 of **Catalyst**- Back To Draco

* * *

A moment later Harry and Severus landed on a tiled floor, supposedly in Snape Manor. After taking a few seconds to recover himself, Harry looked the potions master over. Now that there was enough light to see the man in detail, Harry was horrified. A large, deep gash ran from one shoulder down to Snape's hip, still bleeding out what was left of Severus's blood supply. The Death Eater's formally pale skin was now ashen, a cold sweat beading at his temples.

Harry jumped up, his chest protesting the sudden movement a bit, but not enough to slow him down. After a quick dash down the hall in which they had landed, Harry located a fireplace with a bit of floo powder. Levitating his former potions master into the room, he lit a fire with his wand and grasped the man's arm as he threw the powder into the fire.

"Number 14 Grimmauld Place!" Harry shouted, praying that he and Severus would make it through the maze of fireplaces and that Snape Manor _was_ in fact connected to Grimmauld.

A blur of black fireplaces later, Harry tumbled out of the well-used fireplace covered in soot and blood and clutching Snape's arm in a death grip. Faintly, he registered the sound of footsteps running down the stairs toward him and calling his name repeatedly. Gentle hands picked him up off the floor and Harry looked up to meet Remus's concerned gaze which was flitting back and forth from him to Snape, who was surrounded by several order members.

"Make sure Snape lives. I promised Draco," Harry said, after assuring everyone that he was alright, minus the cut on his cheek, which wasn't fatal.

"Where is Malfoy?" Moody asked him gruffly.

"I don't know. Possible Malfoy Manor, maybe some other headquarters for the Death Eaters. He could be anywhere," Harry answered as he sat down in a chair, only to be jerked to his feet again and crushed in a tight embrace.

"Harry! We were so worried about you! What happened? We heard cries this morning, but when me and Ron got there you were all gone!" Hermione cried, burying her face in Harry's shoulder. Harry laughed a bit and patted her back.

"I'm fine, Hermione. Don't worry. Lucius Malfoy paid us a visit. He ran across Snape who was working on a potion at that time, and then Draco showed up. Lucius used a portkey to transport all of us to some dungeon. Draco's still there though."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, he can take care of himself," Hermione consoled, seeing Harry's apparent concern. Ron and Ginny gave him smiles from over Hermione's shoulder, and the bushy-haired witch stepped back a bit. All four of them turned to the circle of adults who were still surrounding Snape, who appeared to be unconscious.

"Snape's one lucky man, Harry. If you had gotten him here just five minutes later he would've been gone. We've got a mediwizard on the way, though. He'll live, but he's going to need weeks of recuperation to restore his blood supply." Harry sighed in relief and sank down into the chair, running his hands through his hair and letting them rest on his face. A hand laid itself on his shoulder and he looked up when it didn't go away. Ginny was staring back at him.

"You should clean yourself up, and heal that cut of yours. Go on upstairs, Snape's going to be fine, you heard them. There's not much else you can do now," She said gently, pulling him up and sending him on his way. Harry went, albeit reluctantly. He knew that Ginny was right. He couldn't do anything more for Snape, and Draco…well, as much as it pained him to realize, he couldn't do much for him either, unless... With a last glance at the group of wizards in the living room, Harry shuffled around the corner and walked down the hall to his room to clean himself up a bit and heal the laceration on his cheek.

-------------

Draco was jerked to his feet, his hands instantly bound together by a conjured steel ring that cut roughly into his wrists. His father's hand pushed him down the hallway, directing him in different directions by shoving his shoulder to the right or left. After ten or so minutes of walking Draco came face-to-face with another set of bars embedded in a stone wall. Lucius whispered a quiet word and the bars disappeared long enough for Draco to be pushed inside before they returned. Draco looked up at his father defiantly from the ground as he pushed himself back up.

"What, can't think of something to do with me just yet?" He sneered. Lucius smirked.

"You're lucky, _Draco_. The Dark Lord wishes to see you before you _die_, but he's taking his time elsewhere at the moment. Don't be alarmed though, you _will_ be killed shortly. I'll see to that."

"And if Voldemort doesn't want me killed? Oh but of course, you would comply. You'd do anything for that sniveling half-blood, wouldn't you? I'll bet you're his newest, _willing _sex-toy, hmm?" Draco asked, one eyebrow raised and smirk that was identical to his father's on his face. Lucius snarled and stepped closer to the bars, merely inches from Draco's face.

"Actually, now that you mention it, maybe I'll save _that_," Lucius made a face, "job, for _you_." Draco's rage was carefully hidden beneath his impenetrable mask, although his eyes were ablaze.

"You wouldn't _dare_, father," Draco hissed. Lucius's hand snaked out and grabbed Draco's neck, dragging the younger Malfoy's head so close to his own their lips were brushing against each other.

"Oh believe me, I would," The Death Eater whispered viciously, before pressing his lips firmly on his son's until the shocked teen roughly shoved him away, reeling back.

"You're sick," Draco cried, spitting on the floor near his father's feet and turning his back to the bars and Lucius. The young blonde heard a dangerous laugh from behind him and the sound of his father's retreating footsteps soon after.

_What did I just get myself into_? Draco wondered silently, brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. Still, he refused to give up. Giving up now would be playing right into his father's and Voldemort's hands. Lucius was smart, but Draco could be smarter. _I'll get out of this. Harry was right: if I have to kill the whole damn lot of these murderers, I'll do it. But I _will_ get out of here._

--------------

"Hold on Draco," Harry whispered for the millionth time while pacing back and forth in the library. Deep inside of him he was starting to feel small bursts of cruel joy radiating from the bond he had with Voldemort. Which meant that that Tom had finally found something to be happy about. No doubt that had something to do with Draco. "_Dammit_!" Harry swore loudly, slamming both hands down onto the desk with enough force to send tremors through it and rattle the lamp that was resting on top of it. Ron looked up sharply from the couch and his chess set.

"Harry?" He asked a bit cautiously in regard to his friend's flushed cheeks and dangerous, glittering eyes. Harry's temper was a hard one to match.

"What?" Harry snapped, turning around and staring at the redhead. Ron sighed, understanding that Harry's frustration wasn't aimed at him.

"Calm down Harry. What are you so worked up about anyway? Snape's gonna—"

"This isn't about _Snape_ god dammit! This is about _Draco_!" Harry yelled. "I _left_ him Ron. He could be _dead _for all I know! I _left _him!"

"Harry, I'm sure Malfoy'll be fine. Remember all those times when he—"

"You don't _know_ he's fine, Ron. You don't know anything! I _left_ him," Harry repeated heatedly, stalking over to his friend and standing over him. Ron leaned back into the couch a bit; he could see Harry practically shaking with rage.

"Calm down…" He warned, not wanting any accidental magic to rip the house apart. In all seven years he had known Harry, Ron had never seen his friend so angry. The black-haired teen's hands were balled into fists, his nails creating crescent shaped marks on the insides of his palms; his eyes were _glowing_, and actual sparks of magic were floating around him. "Harry, you're going to destroy this room if you don't calm down. I know you're worried about Draco, but what can you do?" Harry looked at his friend hard.

"I can look for him."

"That's not what I—" But Harry was already out of the room. Ron reached out to one of the stray magic sparks and cupped it in his hand. "Harry, I think you're more powerful that you realize," He whispered softly, before crushing the tendril of magic in-between his pointer finger and thumb. Just then Hermione walked out from around one of the large bookshelves and came to sit next to Ron.

"I won't pretend I didn't hear your conversation with Harry," She said with a sigh, grabbing one of the small pillows and hugging it to her chest. Ron nodded.

"It's strange to think that he might not come back one of these days, you know? I mean, I'm sure as hell not leaving this room to try and convince him not to go after Malfoy, but it's still going to be dangerous for him. And something tells me that he's not going to want us there with him." It was Hermione's turn to nod now, running her finger over the embroidered pillow.

"He's been lucky so far, we'll just have to keep hoping that he'll continue to be. But I'm not sure he's going after Voldemort this time. He just wants to make sure that Draco's alright."

"How's he going to find him?" Ron asked.

"He's going to have to use a certain bond the two have." Ron looked at her with an eyebrow raised in puzzlement. Hermione answered: "I was walking with Harry down here, and just before we reached this room, we heard some of the Order members talking in the study about some sort of bond between Draco and his father. Apparently that's how Lucius managed to find Draco _and_ get past the barriers around Grimmauld. Now, remember when we studied different forms of magical bonds and their uses at Hogwarts?" Ron's face made it clear that he didn't. "Well, there was this small part of the lesson on friendship bonds, and lovers' bonds."

"Wait, you're saying that Harry thinks he has a _lovers'_ bond with _Malfoy_?" Ron asked, a bit horrified. Hermione allowed herself a quiet laugh.

"No. But friendship…" She hinted. Ron nodded in understanding. "The only thing is… is that casting a bonding spell that will actually help Harry track Draco down takes a lot of magic and power. I'm not sure Harry can execute it." Ron chuckled.

"Hermione, Harry was so frustrated just now that he was emitting sparks. Tell me that's not rare." Ron raised his eyebrow.

"He…was? Still, that doesn't mean _that_ much…"

"Yeah, only that Harry has full capacity to run Lucius and You-Know-Who into hell on the first try, as long as he's pissed off."

"Ron, don't underestimate You-Know-Who; he's powerful as well."

"Alright, alright. I know he is. But Harry's really got a chance, you know? One of these day's he's going to surprise that old bastard. He'll do it. I _know_ he will," Ron said firmly, believing his words with every fiber in his being. Hermione nodded her agreement with a big smile gracing her face.

-------------

Harry was mulling through his magical core, searching with flaring senses for the small strand of magic that had Draco's mark on it. He had resorted to ordering Kreacher to get him several books on magical bonds from the library in order to avoid seeing Ron and Hermione and possibly be convinced to stay at Grimmauld instead of finding Draco. It wasn't that he thought Draco _wasn't_ capable of taking care of himself, quite the opposite in fact. But sometimes people were simply outnumbered. Witty phrases could only get you so far without a wand in hand. Plus, he couldn't just _leave_ Draco there. _Too late, Harry, you've already done that,_ he chided himself harshly, still searching for the thread of magical bond inside his core.

And suddenly, there it was. Right next too the two Voldemort-tainted strands, which he hadn't bothered to remove yet. Instead of running a deep black, the two boy's bond was a pure silver, pulsing a bit every once in a while. Next two it, there were two more threads, one gold and one navy blue: Ron and Hermione. A smile flickered onto Harry's face briefly before grasping the silver strand with his loose magic and simply _feeling_.

He had expected to feel a slight tug in the direction of Draco's location, which was suppose to happen. But when Harry opened his eyes he was anywhere _but_ sitting at the desk in his room. The chair he had been sitting on was replaced by cold, gray and damp stone and the comforting walls filled with a myriad of pictures were replaced with dripping stone walls. Already knowing that he had somehow reached his destination, Harry stood up warily. Lucius, or maybe even Voldemort by now, still had his wand, but Harry wasn't particularly concerned about that. He was fully prepared to use raw magic from his core to get Draco out of here, no matter what the side-effects were.

Luckily, the black-haired teen hadn't landed in one of the cells, and thus was able to move through the halls freely. Still tapped into the faint bond that connected him to Draco, Harry let it guide him through a maze of corridors, none any less foreboding than the first. The passageways were empty, void of life except for mold and fungus growing in the cracks between the stones. No Death Eaters passed through at all, making Harry's wariness grow. This was _Voldemort's_ headquarters, and yet there were no guards. _Dementors at the very least should be floating around, _Harry thought with uneasiness. _Where are they?_

--------------

"Draco. Draco," The Dark Lord purred softly, caressing the shaking boy's hair with thin fingers. Draco wrenched he head back in defiance. "_Crucio!_"

The young Malfoy fell forward, sucking in air as his body was wracked with white-hot pain. Even after Voldemort lifted the curse, Draco could feel his hands involuntarily twitching and shaking, nerve cells stretched to their limit after too long under the unforgivable.

"One of these days you'll learn tolerance for me, like you father has," Riddle said, turning to Malfoy Senior and beckoning him forward. Lucius stepped towards his master dutifully, his dark gray eyes flitting from the Dark Lord to his son, who was still shaking from repeated torture. "I've heard from Lucius that you and Mister Potter share an…interesting relationship," Tom paused, locking eyes with the young ex-Death Eater, "I suppose I could still spare your life if you agree to use this to _our_ advantage."

Draco laughed. Hard. "Tom—"

"_Do not call me that!_" Voldemort snapped, pressing his wand into Draco's throat. Draco paused, his eyes flicking to the door of the room several meters away. _Oh god, he's here…_

"Tom," Draco started again, "I can call you whatever the hell I want, because I really don't think it's going to matter in about…sixty seconds. You plan on killing me anyway. As to your proposal: no, I will not join you again. I've grown rather attached to seeing this lovely mark slashed in two."

"I could heal it, if you join us once again," The dark-haired wizard mentioned.

"My Lord, do you really think it wise to accept him into our ranks after what happened last time?" Lucius commented slowly. Voldemort turned his gaze to his servant and stood up to face him.

"Lucius, you have served me for many years, as has your poor wife—bless what she had left of a heart—do you still not know your rightful place?" The Dark Lord hissed angrily. "_Get out and leave this to **me**_!" He snapped, striking the blonde man across the face and watching Draco's father leave the room with a last, cold look at his son. "Now…" Voldemort turned back to Draco, a venomous look in his eye. "Stand up." Draco didn't move. "Do you _wish_ to shorten your already short life, boy?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Do you feel that?" He whispered with a smirk.

"_What_?" Tom growled, raised his wand.

"Do you feel it?" Draco repeated. Tom paused. "It seems to me that you have a visitor." Suddenly the door burst open and Lucius Malfoy appeared, holding his arm to his chest in pain, and with a desperate and shocked look on his face.

"M-m-my Lord, it's—"

"I don't I need an introduction, Lucius," A familiar voice spoke, in an un-familiarly cold way. The hidden rage behind it combined with the rush of magical energy that Draco had felt moments ago was frightening.

* * *

I suppose I sort of left you guys with another cliffhanger…again. Sorry! Don't kill me! Anyway, record number of comments on last chapter, so keep it up you guys! Please review!

-They Wykkyd


	25. Trial and Error

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

This chapter has not been betaed yet, so I apologize for any little errors on my part. I'll look over this chapter when I find time and get rid of any small errors I catch. Until then, enjoy this anyway.

Sorry for the long wait on this...I was focusing on finishing up the story, and I did! There's one chapter left after this!

Chapter 25 of **Catalyst**- Trial And Error 

* * *

"Did he say where he was going? I thought he didn't know where Malfoy was!" Remus asked Ron with a concerned expression on his face.

"He didn't say anything to me except that he was going to look for him. Hermione thinks he might have used some sort of bond the two had in order to find him," Ron said, hoping that some of this could be helpful. Remus looked up suddenly.

"Tracing bonds means that you must have access and control over your magical core, Ron. If Harry was able to do it in the first place, he might not have enough strength to get back here." Ron waited to hear more. "But, it's also the best way to find someone. He most likely used a friendship bond, because lovers' bonds aren't strong enough unless the two are married."

"Do you think he's alright then?" Ron asked. Remus sighed and put his head back into his hands, massaging his temples.

"It depends. Harry's always had power, that's for sure. But the control of that power…well, it's easy for anyone to let magic slip, but when Harry gets worked up, the results could be disastrous for him. He'll do anything to save Draco, even if it means killing himself." There was a tearful gasp from the door, and Ron turned to see Ginny there, who had obviously heard Remus's last sentence.

"Really?" She confirmed quietly. The werewolf nodded.

"So…what about Snape?" Ron asked. Remus sighed again.

"He's at Mungo's, under Moody's surveillance," Remus said with a small cringe. "I'd offer to stay with him, it's not like he's in any condition to run, but I need to be here if Harry comes back." Both Weasley's nodded in understanding.

"He's going to live though, right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, after a day or two of recovery, he'll be fine. Because the mediwizards know what caused him injury, the _sectumsempra_, they're able to use magic on him that won't conflict with that curse. His condition is most likely stable already," Remus paused for a moment, seeming worried, but the expression vanished as soon as he spoke again. "Well you two, it's late; or rather, it's early. You should go to bed, as tomorrow we have to go to Diagon Alley and get your books and such."

"Wake us if Harry gets back," Ginny said, then gave Remus a brief hug before going to bed. Ron stood as well and followed her out silently.

---------------------------------

Harry Potter strode into the room, power seeping off him in blood-red tendrils, snaking out to both Tom and Lucius. The men twitched in pain as the tendrils lapped at their skin before leaping back to their owner with a faint 'pop'. The enraged Gryffindor stopped a meter away from the Death Eater and the Dark Lord, glaring at both of them with sparking green eyes. Draco lay still on the ground, the only movement in his body the sporadic jolt of a limb, triggered by his destroyed nerve endings. Voldemort broke the oppressing silence with a maniacal laugh.

"So kind of you to join us, Harry," He said, his eyes dancing in a truly insane way. The brilliant red orbs changed every other moment from scarlet to black, then back to scarlet. Harry found himself a bit hypnotized by them, in a strange sort of way.

"I thought so too, Tom, considering I don't have much time these days for idle _chats_," Harry spat, his eyes glowing like the killing curse itself. Even the Dark Lord was on edge now. Draco couldn't help but smirk a bit mentally; Harry really _had_ learned a thing or two from him. Before, the black-haired Gryffindor would never have even thought to start spouting sarcasm at Voldemort himself, let alone with the level of eloquence he had reached…Draco's lips turned up into a small smile, only to be turned into a grimace of pain as he felt the hem of his father's robes brush over his chest. When Draco felt Lucius's hand touch his face, a moan escaped his mouth, forcefully restrained from turning into a scream.

"Say goodbye to everyone Draco," Lucius whispered, his wand suddenly pressed to Draco's throat. As he heard his master yell an incantation towards Potter, Lucius whispered the killing curse. A brilliant green flash filled the room for a second, blinding everyone for a moment before the light faded. Lucius pushed his son's unmoving body away from him and stood up, turning towards his master.

"NO!" Harry screamed, his red magic flooding the room as he dropped to Draco's side, pulling the lifeless Slytherin's body to him. "God no…" He whispered again, tears burning the corners of his eyes and beginning to run down his face. Suddenly Harry looked up at the two men standing before him, momentarily frozen by the waves of magic crashing around them. Harry gently laid Draco's body on the ground and stood up, holding a hand out in front of him. The movement seemed to awaken Tom, who raised his wand level with the teen's hand, removing its point from his left arm.

"So sorry to cut this short but—" Harry was cut off by a powerful hex of some sort blasting into his chest. He couldn't be sure of the effects of it though, because his magic hovering around him repelled it, or more-so, swallowed it up. Suddenly Harry realized he had a choice to make. It was either Voldemort or Draco. If he let Draco go, he could end this war before it started. But if wanted to save the young Malfoy…_Draco's…no. I can save him. I _have _to. I can't let him die like Dumbledore…or Sirius. I can't…_Harry set his eyes into a glare and screamed '_Expelliarmus_' in his head. The magic rushing in and out of him formed into an organized bolt and hit Voldemort with every ounce of power Harry thought he could afford. The Dark Lord, taken by surprise at the force of the spell, careened backwards and was knocked out against the stone wall with a crack of his skull hitting the surface. Harry knelt down at Draco's side once again before turning to Lucius, who had moved to tend his master.

"Lucius, come here," Harry ordered with a vicious tone in his voice only matched by Voldemort himself. Lucius chuckled a bit and ignored him. "My only hesitation from casting an unforgivable on you right now, is that any '_crucio_' I cast now would kill you and I need you alive. **_Stand up_**," Harry ordered, his voice thick with a mentally-cast '_imperio_'. The older Malfoy, and the only living one, found himself powerless to ignore Potter any further. He could feel red-hot magic pouring into his head with a roaring intensity that would only register insanity if he attempted to block it out. Slowly, he moved towards Harry, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and fear.

"My only regret, is that Draco couldn't do this himself," Harry whispered, before holding his hand up and yelling: "_Muertos comercio!_"

White light slammed into Lucius's head and he fell to the floor, gasping from the pressure inside his skull, which increased every moment. Harry watched, his face emotionless, as a single white bead of light lifted from Lucius's forehead and hovered above him. Just as the light paused, Lucius Malfoy breathed his last, his eyes flickering shut for eternity.

The green-eyed Gryffindor guided the magical bead to hover over Draco's neck, where there was a small mark from the killing curse. Already Harry could feel his magic receding, pulling back into his core in an effort to keep from being drained. Pressing the white orb to the small mark on the Slytherin's neck, Harry whispered "_Recibirio_," and the bead of light faded.

The Gryffindor slumped against the ground, gasping for air as a vast amount of his power entered Draco. He grabbed both wands from Lucius's pocket and moved back to Draco a moment later. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a mass of black-robed wizards sweep into the room and recognized them as Death Eaters. With further incentive, Harry formed a powerful image of Grimmauld Place in his mind, grabbed Draco's arm and apparated both of them back to headquarters.

Harry was lucky in a sense that the two of them landed on the porch of his summer residency where there was a large number of terra cotta planter pots that fell over when he hit them, creating a tremendous crash. Seconds later he heard footsteps coming towards the door, and after a moment it opened. Remus stood there, looking exhausted and not at all healthy.

"Oh Merlin…" The wizard breathed upon seeing Harry and Draco lying motionless on the porch, shattered pots all around them. Then Harry's eyes opened, and a smile flickered across his face before they closed once again. Remus ran back into the house in a state of near panic and called for another order member from the study; the two of them ran back out to where the two students were lying unconscious…or dead.

"I've got Harry, take Malfoy," Remus commanded, gently lifting Harry into his arms. "Let's bring them to Harry's room." John McKenna waved his wand and Draco hovered slowly into the air, then the two were off with their patients.

As soon as both boys were lying on Harry's bed, which Remus had stripped of covers so they wouldn't get dirty, he asked John to wake Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, then to get a team of mediwizards from St. Mungo's.

"Right away, Remus," McKenna affirmed, giving his friend a supporting smile before leaving the room. Remus nodded absently, and then bent over Harry, checking for a pulse. He found one, pulsing steadily, but not as strongly as he would have liked. Draco's on the other hand, was fading rapidly. The werewolf grabbed his wand and whispered a charm as he waved it over the two students. He saw magic flowing directly from Harry into Draco. It was obvious Harry's low supply of magic was the only thing that was keeping Draco alive, and the only thing that was slowly killing Harry. Meaning that if he saved Harry by cutting the strand of magic that was flowing freely from his core, he would kill Draco. But if he saved Draco, by letting Harry's magic keep him alive, Harry would die in a matter of minutes. His only other option was to use another's magic supply to keep Harry alive.

"Hermione!" He could loudly into the hall, leaving Harry's side for a moment. A minute later the teenage witch appeared in the room, panting a bit and tying her hair back.

"Oh, Harry!" She cried, rushing to her friend's side.

"Hermione, I need to establish a bond between you and Harry, so that he can feed off your magic. He's using his own to prevent Draco from dying, and Malfoy won't live through another magic transfer. Harry's doing better, so he should be able to handle it. Will you let me do it?" Remus asked, after his hurried explanation.

"Just tell me what I have to do," The brown-eyed girl responded bravely.

"Just sit here, and I'll do the rest," Remus told her. Hermione obeyed and Remus cast, "_llevaria"._ Hermione twitched a bit as she felt a large tug come from her chest and began to feel her magic drain slowly. "Don't worry about running out of magic, I'm keeping an eye on it. Once the mediwizards arrive, they'll make sure Draco's stable enough to cut Harry's magic from him, and then we'll cut yours from Harry. It shouldn't be a long wait." Hermione nodded and leaned back into the chair, not at all alarmed by the transfer method, but still increasingly worried about Harry, and as she realized, Draco as well. The young Slytherin was deathly pale, his chest barely rising and falling. Every other moment he would twitch, almost a light convulsion.

"What's wrong with Draco?" She asked Remus.

"It's my guess that he was subjected to the cruciatus for a long period of time. The curse destroys nerve cells to the point where the victim is in a state of paralysis until the cells are repaired again. It's not an extremely long recovery period, though, so Draco should be alright as long as Harry's magic can last long enough." Hermione nodded in understanding, and the two fell back into silence, they're ears pricked for the sound of mediwizards arriving. Ron and Ginny entered the room silently a short while later, both rubbing sleep out of their eyes.

"Are they alright?" Ginny whispered, grabbing Harry's cold hand in her own.

"Yes," Hermione said softly, going back to studying the two boys' external condition. Both of them were pale, with Malfoy being a shade of white that was so light it was almost blue, and Harry's light tan showing through just a bit. Draco's eye sockets seemed dark and sunken, and his cheekbones appeared pronounced, giving the eerie illusion of a skull with blonde hair. Hermione could make out a bruise forming on the left side of his forehead, and several more dark marks around his neck that made her cringe. With slightly apprehensive eyes, she turned to Harry to survey the damage. Much like Draco, his injuries seemed to be mostly interior; the only alarming thing she could make out was his pale skin that was beaded with glistening drops of sweat. The brown-haired witch sighed with relief—it could have been worse.

"Will they _be _alright?" Ginny asked, still holding Harry's hand. Hermione's eyes flicked to her younger friend's face for a moment, and then turned to Remus. She looked toward Ginny once more.

"Yes," She stated, with firm resolve. Harry had taken worse. So had Draco. They would be alright.

------------------------

Harry's eyes blinked open, his ink-black pupils taking in the darkness of the room and adjusting a bit. He was cold, but not uncomfortably so, and his body was a bit sore from his past events, which chose that moment to come rushing back to him. With a quite groan, Harry slammed his head back onto his pillow, content to just lie there until he died. The Gryffindor balled his hands into loose fists, and then straightened his fingers again, just to get circulation flowing into them. _I wonder how long I was out…_he thought briefly, also wondering where Draco was and if he was alright. Harry rolled over and pushed the covers off of him, dimly recognizing them to be the deep red tone of his own comforter at Grimmauld Place. _Better than Mungo's by a long shot_, Harry thought with a bit of amusement as he slid off the bed and stood up. Instantly he realized he wasn't quite as strong as he felt, and he was forced to grab the bedpost for support. After a few moments, Harry stood up fully again, moving a bit shakily over to the wall for more support. Still moving slowly, Harry quietly pulled open his door and padded down the hall, walking the oh-so-familiar route to Draco's room. His hand trailed along the railing to prevent him from falling flat on his face, but Harry's sheer determination kept him on his feet. Sheer determination didn't, however, dissuade him from sitting down halfway down the hall and resting for a moment.

"How in hell am I going to survive this damn weak?" Harry asked himself, picking himself back up and continuing down the corridor. Just outside Draco's room he paused, several thoughts running through his head. What if Draco wasn't there? What if he wasn't even _alive_? What if…_Shut the hell up_, Harry told himself, before quietly pushing the door open. He peered inside, praying to Merlin that the outline of the young Malfoy's thin body could be seen lying in the bed. It was too dark to tell from the doorway. Whishing he had remembered to bring his wand with him, Harry walked farther into the room until he could see Draco's bed.

The Slytherin boy was lying languidly on his bed, eyes closed in deep slumber, his face a perfect mix of peace and calm. Harry noticed Draco's rising and falling chest, and he let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"Thank god, Draco. Thank god," He whispered, lying down next to the blonde-haired teen and pulling him close, inhaling the faint smell of mint that rose from Draco's silky hair. The last thought that ran through the Gryffindor's head was something along the lines of: _Congratulations, Harry. We're all alive._

-------------------------

"You've been out for three nights, actually."

"What! That means there's only two days left of vacation before school starts!" Harry exclaimed, staring with a mixture of shock and horror at Remus. "What about my school supplies? What about Draco? Is he coming? Do I have to give the Order a case?" He rambled, his questions flowing out of his mouth without pausing. "And what about Draco? His…health? I don't know! Is he even okay; you won't _tell me_ god dammit!"

"Harry, calm down. Take a deep breath," Remus told the teenaged boy who was now running his hands through his hair and slumped as far as possible into the brown chair. "Mr. Malfoy is perfectly fine…for the most part. There will be no long-term effects."

"What _happened _to him? Please, Remus, I wasn't there until he was on the floor, _convulsing._ What did they do to him?" Harry pleaded, his eyes rising to meet the golden ones of his former teacher, begging for answers. He had been awake for about eight hours now, but they were such a rush of assuring his health—aside from his dramatically weak state—and then trying to find Remus for answers. Remus had showed up an hour ago from Saint Mungo's with news about Severus's condition, but he had been to busy working with paperwork to sit down with Harry. After an apology on his part, Remus brought Harry into the library, handed him a chocolate bar, and began talking. Now, the werewolf glanced away from Harry, to the desk filled with papers for him to fill out, and then sighed.

"I've been talking about it with Severus, and he feels that Draco was subjected to lengthy periods of time under the cruciatus curse. Eventually, the curse has the potential to leave the victim paralyzed." Remus could see Harry visible tense at his word. "As I said, there will be no lasting effects of torture. Don't worry. Still, Draco needs plenty of rest while he can get it. For the moment, he'll most likely experience dizzy spells and short periods of blindness until his nerves can fully repair themselves. As for _you,_ you shouldn't try any magic for a few days, or at least until your fully recovered. Even then, no excessive amounts. You came too close to draining yourself."

"So, Snape told you about Draco's condition, then. Why do you _believe_ him?" Harry asked a bit harshly, after nodding his understanding of Remus's statement about his own weakened condition.

"Because he has first-hand experience, and I trust him enough to regard his words. It was either listen to Severus, or let Draco die. I know which one _you_ would have chosen," Remus said calmly, looking his former pupil directly in the eye. Harry smiled a bit and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I would have listened to him too. So…Draco's going to be alright? And he can go to Hogwarts with me in a couple days?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. If you can convince Mad Eye to let Draco go with you, then he'll be free to go. But if not…well, the rest of the Order's pretty tight with his word. They'll listen to Alastor more than anyone now that Dumbledore is gone. You might have a tough time, especially without Draco there with you, but I'm sure you can do it. Just pull an 'I am the Chosen One and I deserve to bring my boyfriend back to school with me so I can make-out with him in-between classes'," Remus said with a smirk that quickly grew into a wide grin. Harry blushed beet red.

"You're horrible, Remus," He teased.

"Don't forget, I used to be a Marauder. Spent way too much time with your father and Sirius," The werewolf commented, chuckling a bit. "Go on, Harry, get some rest. Don't worry about anything right now but this meeting with the Order, I might even manage to get Mad Eye out of the way. Me, Hermione, and Ron got school supplies for both you and Draco yesterday, and trust me, Mr. Malfoy will be alright." Remus ruffled Harry's already tousled hair and sent the teen up the stairs, watching him leave with contemplative eyes. If anyone could get Draco Malfoy back into Hogwarts without a parental signature, it was Harry.

"We sure could use with some good news around here," Remus Lupin whispered to himself.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone, and once again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I'll get the last chapter up ASAP!

In the meantime, please, please, please review! Anything you want to see in this last chapter that I could work in?

-The Wykkyd


	26. Catalytic Tendencies FINAL CHAPTER

**Disclaimer**: Lots of legal jumbo about not owning any of the characters in this story...

**Rating**: 'T', rated for mature issues and some sexual themes, as well as language. The rating may go up later in the story.

**Warning**: _This story contains slash_, and features a Harry/Draco relationship. Don't like it, don't read. There will be some sexual themes later on in the story, and mature issues (as stated in the rating). Just to let you all know.

**A/N**: All the other information you may want, including the summary, can be found in the first chapter. I don't feel the need to repeat the summary over and over again. To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. That goes to all of you who added this story to your favorites list and such, and of course, to those who simply read and enjoyed.

Beta credit goes to _TheseBrokenWings_, who I am extremely grateful to! Thanks SO much!

LAST CHAPTER! _WOW!_

Chapter 26 of **Catalyst**- Catalytic Tendencies 

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Good news came one day later when a recovered and jovial Fred Weasley came through the fireplace, followed by his partner-in-crime, George. Harry was nestled into the couch reading a book, Ssyn draped over his shoulder, with Draco leaning over his other shoulder in order to read as well. The Gryffindor's right arm was wrapped loosely around his boyfriend's waist in a small gesture of support. Yet both boys sprang apart as the twins entered the room.

"Ah…Harry, Malfoy…not quick enough, boys," Fred said with a smirk and a wink. Harry blushed and looked over at Draco, who was as calm and emotion-less as ever, but the Gryffindor thought he spotted a slight pink-ish hue coloring Malfoy's cheekbones.

"Where's ickle Ronnie-kins?" George asked, "I'm sure he and Ginny will be glad to hear that mum and dad are up and about as well."

"What?! How long have you three been out of the hospital?" Harry asked Fred, wondering just how much he had missed in those three days he had been wandering in and out of consciousness.

"About four days. Well, me that is," Fred explained, "Mum and dad were just released today. We arrived the other day—"

"—In the midst of a bit of a commotion. Something about—"

"—A certain Harry Potter disappearing with a bang—"

"—Off to be the knight-in-shining-armor and save the love of his life from the grips of evil," George finished with a grand bow. Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed the book from Harry's hands, going back to reading with a disinterested look on his face.

"So…Ron and Ginny?" Fred prompted Harry again.

"Right, er... in the library. Hermione should be there as well."

"Studying for exams already, no doubt," The twins stated simultaneously as they walked out of the room with a wave.

"How can you _stand_ them?" Draco asked, looking a bit appalled.

"Fred and George? I've always liked those two; they're easy to get along with. Not to mention brilliant…"

"Brilliant? I don't follow," The Slytherin deadpanned.

"So Slytherin poster-boy hasn't been into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, then," Harry replied with a smirk. Draco rolled his eyes once again and changed the subject.

"When is Moody going to be here for the—"

"He's not coming. I think Remus had something to do with that, actually. All he said to me was that Moody wouldn't 'be able to attend the meeting today'," Harry cut in. "I'm really glad you're healed enough to be there with me. I think you're going to be the cut-off line."

"You think we'll be able to convince them?" Draco asked, the smallest hint of doubt on his face. Harry gave him a reassuring smile and moved closer to the Slytherin.

"Of course we can," He whispered in the blonde-haired teen's ear, placing a soft kiss right underneath it.

-----------------

"Mr. Potter, I realize that Mr. Malfoy has been staying with you for the summer, _and_ that he has not done anything to prove himself loyal to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but without substantial proof we can _not_ grant him access into Hogwarts. Look at the liability! I hope you understand," Mr. Sinclain said in a monotone, bored, and disinterested voice.

Harry glanced over to Remus, whose eyes were fixated on Draco. The Slytherin student was glaring at the stubborn man who was the newest Ministry representative in the Order. Under a glare like that, most men would have caved in, granting him a signature—both Ministry and Order approved—and thus letting him into Hogwarts without further trouble. But Sinclain wasn't 'most men'. Draco slowly rolled up the left sleeve of his robe, keeping his gaze locked with the Ministry representative all the while and ignoring the Order members who tensed a bit and pulled their wands forth. The blonde-haired teen revealed his arm, bandaged with white gauze to keep his wound from tearing open. Waving his wand and whispering an incantation, the gauze began to unravel, turning to threads of white fiber and falling to the floor in dramatic, fluid motions. The top of his wound was revealed soon after, still a macabre red. The Order members, Sinclain as well, watched Draco's arm and face in morbid fascination.

While the grotesque wound was revealed, Malfoy's face was as emotionless as ever, save the cold and angry glint in his eyes. As the gauze unraveled further, the remainder of the dark mark appeared, marred by the scarlet laceration that slashed it in two. Finally, the last of the gauze loosened and fell to the floor. Draco stood, in all his lethal glory, still staring at the man before him. Harry watched as a thin stream of blood welled up in the indentation on the Slytherin's arm and trickled down Malfoy's pale skin, dripping off the boy's middle finger and falling to the floor. Silence dominated the room for a good two minutes; all eyes were glued to Draco's arm. Finally, Sinclain took a deep breath and grabbed a quill. The scratching of the metal tip was the only noise in the room as he signed permission for Draco Malfoy to attend Hogwarts for his final year. Harry couldn't help but smirk.

---------------

Harry stepped off the Hogwarts Express with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny beside him. Hogsmead Station was chalk-full of students clad in Hogwarts robes, all talking and laughing loudly with their friends in small reunions. Harry felt his eyes rove over the crowds on their own, looking for a certain Slytherin. A flash of blonde hair caught his eye and Harry looked over to see Draco talking with Parkinson and Zabini with a calm, arrogant look on his face. A feeling akin to jealousy arose in Harry's stomach, but he forced it out of the way and rolled his eyes at his own behavior. He was acting like a _child_ who couldn't have his favorite teddy bear with him all day long. _Sure, but before this, it pretty much _was _just us. And now: Draco Malfoy…Harry Potter's rival, _Harry thought dismally, turning away from the Slytherin and his friends. The only reason he didn't march over there and wrench Draco out of their circle was because Draco trusted both of them with his life. Neither had been sworn into Voldemort's inner or middle circles, so even though they knew about him defecting, they wouldn't do anything about it. They were his sworn friends. _And I thought Slytherins didn't have morals like that_, Harry thought to himself, a small smile gracing his face.

"Harry, you there?" Ron asked with amusement, waving a hand in front of the black-haired teen's face. Harry pulled himself out of his musings and smiled.

"Yeah, all here."

"Come _on_ you two, we've got to catch an empty carriage before we have to split up. Let's go!" Hermione cried, tugging impatiently on Ron's arm and dragging him off. Ginny looked back at him.

"You know…I think I'll catch up with you three later," Harry said, "I'll see you at the feast." Ginny gave him a small, understanding smile and walked off after her brother and Hermione, running a bit to catch up. Harry watched his three friends' retreating backs before ducking into a small niche in the wall of the station, out of sight for the most part. He withdrew a bundle of cloth from his robes, the shimmery material sliding easily around his body until the Gryffindor simply disappeared. Under the protection of his invisibility cloak, Harry stepped out onto the platform again and looked around for Draco. The tall Slytherin boy was walking towards the carriages with his two friends, clearing a path in front of the trio with icy glares. Harry worked his way through the mess of students until he was just behind Draco.

"Hey, Malfoy," He whispered softly, but not so quietly that the Slytherin couldn't hear him. Draco paused, and when Pansy and Blaise turned, he gave them a signal to continue on.

"I'll see you two at the feast, make sure Crabb and Goyle don't eat everything before I get there," He commanded. He was granted two smirks from his friends before they moved off. Draco took a sudden turn and stopped at the door of the carriage, pausing a bit to glance at the black, winged horse that waited patiently for passengers.

"This the first time you've seen them?" Harry asked from underneath the cloak.

"No. I've been able to see them for about three years, when Lucius started involving me in Death Eater activities," Draco replied, speaking softly so no one could hear and it didn't appear as if he was speaking to himself. The blonde opened the door to the carriage and found three boys wearing Hufflepuff badges and holding wizarding cards in their hands. The Slytherin quirked an eyebrow. "Get the _hell_ out of here, before I rip your damn heads off," He growled. The boys—which looked to be third years or so—stood up in a flurry of cards and fled the vehicle, panic written all over their faces. One of them threw a glance over their shoulder as they scampered off to another carriage.

Draco climbed in with a satisfied smirk and Harry followed, rolling his eyes at Draco's antics.

"And I thought you had changed," The Gryffindor said with a spark of laughter.

"Why on Earth would I do that?"

"Because you found me," Harry answered with a smirk, pulling the invisibility cloak off of him.

"Nonsense, I have a reputation to uphold," Draco said, leaning back into the seat and letting the two of them fall into companionable silence. Both students absently noticed the slight jolt of the carriage as the horse lurched into motion, bringing the two passengers closer to their home for the rest of the year. Harry sighed.

"It seems like months ago that you showed up at my flat, but it's really only been weeks, I suppose," Harry commented softly, a sad look in his eye. Draco wrapped his arms around his bent knees and leaned into Harry's chest.

"YeahYour dream never came true then, hmmm?" Harry paused for a moment trying to think of which dream Draco was referring to, until it came to him. The images that had never truly left his mind flashed before his eyes once again. Pained screams, waves of blood, cold tears. Unconsciously, Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and held him closer.

"It could have happened, though. Probably would have if I hadn't been so angry that night and spilled magic everywhere. That was the only time I've ever seen Voldemort rightly afraid of something," Harry chuckled.

"Harry," Draco started suddenly, "Why _didn't_ you kill him? The whole war would have been over if you had destroyed him right there." The Gryffindor sighed quietly.

"It was either him or you, Draco. And…I just couldn't let you die without trying _something_ to get you back."

"And just how _did_ you 'get me back'?" Draco asked. Harry locked eyes with the Slytherin, hesitating to answer. "Harry, I've asked this question a hundred times, I need an answer. My father killed me, I _remember_. I know my father's dead, but I want to know why _I'm not_." Harry turned his head away, breaking eye contact until Draco reached up and grabbed Harry's jaw, pulling it towards him and pressing his lips to the Gryffindor's. After a moment, Malfoy let his lover go. "I know you didn't want to tell anyone else, but please tell me," He asked softly.

"I…couldn't tell anyone else. It would be too dangerous for both of us. But…well…Lucius…cast _Avada Kedavra_ on you. Something in me just, I don't know, snapped, and I realized that I could leave you to kill Voldemort, or I could try and save you and deal with the Dark Lord later. I didn't have enough magic for both. So I went for you. I can't remember what I did to Voldemort, but I know he's alive. Hermione had told me once that a person's magic dies when the person dies, but your magic was still pulsing. I think it's because I was tapped into a bond the two of us have in my core when you were killed. Lucius was still in the room after Voldemort fell, and suddenly I remembered this spell that I had read over the summer—"

"You traded his life for mine," Draco said in realization. Harry nodded silently.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. "It was the only way."

"I know. I suppose I owe you a 'thank you' then," Draco commented.

"Save it. Malfoys only have a limited number of those. Wouldn't want to waste it on the person who saved your life twice," Harry teased.

"Shove it, Potter," Malfoy snapped, glaring half-heartedly. And suddenly Harry's lips were on his, quickly working to coax them open and push his tongue inside. Draco complied, letting Harry gain access without a struggle for dominance. Slowly, Draco moved his hands up Harry's sides, slipping underneath his robes and un-tucking the Gryffindor's uniform so he could slide his hands over Harry's smooth skin. The contact sent fire through his veins, burning his fingers when they touched Harry's muscles. Draco pulled Harry down on top of him, breaking their kiss for a moment to re-situate themselves in the rather cramped space. The Slytherin's left hand moved from Harry's chest and tangled itself in the Gryffindor's black hair, pulling his lips closer until they were kissing once again. This time, Draco didn't let Harry prod his lips apart so easily. Their tongues clashed together as Harry grabbed Draco's hips, pushing them roughly into the padded cushion. His actions elicited a low moan from the Slytherin and he deepened the kiss, rolling his tongue into Draco's mouth and running it along the blonde's teeth. Draco arched his back with a cry, slamming his chest into Harry's and squirming his way out of his robes; their hips ground together, creating burning friction. Sweat was beaded at Draco's temples, the burning fire that was Harry's touch still running through him; through his mouth when Harry's lips met his, through his hips when Harry grasped them, through his chest when Harry trailed his fingers along it, deftly undoing the buttons of his crisp, white shirt.

Draco's chest was exposed, bruises running along his ribs from his father and Voldemort, making Harry scowl angrily as he brushed his fingers around them.

"Do these still hurt?" He asked.

"Mmm, not much," Draco answered before Harry bent down and placed a simple kiss on his lips, then released them to move across Draco's jaw, eventually trailing down the Slytherin's neck. Harry's tongue swirled over Malfoy's collar bone, sucking gently in some places, and not-so-gently in others. Draco let his hands wander freely around Harry's nimble body, pushing the Gryffindor's robes off his slim shoulders and pulling Harry closer. He gasped in pleasure as the black-haired teen's teeth grazed his nipple, replaced soon after by Harry's deft tongue.

"Harry…come here," Draco moaned, pulling Harry up to his face and kissing him with bruising passion. His hands left Harry's chest and wrapped around his back, holding their chests flush as their two tongues danced inside each other's mouths, mapping and claiming territory that was already familiar. They were a tangle of limbs, some clothed, others not, fire now running in both of them at the touch of the other. Both Harry and Draco could feel heat rush from each other as their gasps and moans filled the carriage. _What if this is the last time I can kiss Harry like this?_ Draco wondered, marveling at the fact that the summer had given him a new weakness. Harry had turned into an extremely addictive drug, one that was always there, through good and bad, thick and thin. And now…they had to pretend to hate each other. _It's so much easier, not to mention more pleasant, just to keep on like this, _Malfoy thought, feeling Harry ravish his mouth thoroughly, sucking on his lower lip before pulling away all together.

The Gryffindor let his forehead rest against Draco's, inches between their red lips, millimeters between their noses. Draco shivered for some reason he didn't know.

"There's one thing you never told me," Harry whispered after a minute of silence. Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "How did you find my flat?" The Slytherin's lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk.

"After the end of term last year, when I went back to Malfoy Manor, the Dark Lord gave me an assignment to assure my loyalty to him; my father didn't know about it. My assignment was to locate _you._" Harry froze. "I had heard you talking to Weasley and Hermione about staying by yourself for a while, hidden in a muggle town. From that, I used a series of spells, mostly dark arts, and located you. But…on the day I was suppose to report to Voldemort, several Death Eaters were killed in a raid, and headquarters was in chaos. I forgot about my assignment until the next day, when Voldemort called me to him. He had muggles with him, chained to the walls, bleeding and screaming. I…I couldn't tell him where you were. I kept seeing your face in the place of a tortured muggle, and I lied. I told him I would need another week. That's really when the torture started, the beatings…So when it got to be too much, and I noticed a lapse in the security around my cell, I ran…to you. I don't know why I came to you; maybe it was because I knew you were alone, maybe because I didn't have anywhere else to go…I don't know. But I suppose I'm glad I did," Malfoy ended with a crooked smile.

"'I suppose'," Harry mimicked, and Draco laughed. Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a halt. "I'm going to miss your laugh," Harry commented.

"I'm going to miss having someone to ravish whenever I get the whim," Draco replied with a smirk.

"Hey, I'm still going to be here. _Don't_ forget that," Harry said as he rolled his eyes and gingerly pushed himself off of Malfoy, tucking his shirt back in and putting his robes on as Draco buttoned his shirt up and replaced his robes as well. With a shake of his head, Draco's gleaming hair was back in place. Harry adjusted his glasses a bit and turned to look at the Slytherin sitting beside him. Their eyes locked. _This has to be what drowning's like,_ Harry mused thoughtfully, losing himself for a moment in the Slytherin's stormy eyes.

"We'd better go," Malfoy whispered, breaking the moment.

"Yeah." Still, neither of them moved. Finally the carriage lurched again, the horse obviously getting impatient. The motion stirred Harry into a standing position, grabbing his invisibility cloak and wrapping it around himself. Draco opened the door of the carriage and stepped out, his head held high, his mask firmly back in place. It was as if the summer never happened. Harry clambered out after the Slytherin, whispering to him to assure the blonde that he was completely out of the carriage. Before he turned away, Harry leaned in to Draco, grabbing his shoulders lightly and pressing his lips to the Slytherin's for a brief moment. Malfoy smiled.

"Room of Requirement, after the feast. Don't be late, _Potter_."

"Whatever, _Malfoy_." Harry saw Draco smirk, a gleam appearing in his grey eyes, before turning away to find Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in the crowd of students. _Maybe this year won't be so bad…_

* * *

**The….End**.

Wow. What an adventure to write.

_A note to all the fabulous readers_: Because it's required that I thank all of you for being such supportive readers, here it is: THANK YOU!!!! This was my first Harry/Draco story I've ever written, actually my first Harry Potter fanfic, so I'm blown away by all the wonderful reviews I've gotten from you all. Honestly, I didn't expect to have so many readers! A million thanks to you all, especially those that faithfully reviewed. I enjoyed reading every single one of your reviews, and received some major inspiration from the majority of them. Your questions and guesses about the plot and such actually developed much of the story…pat yourselves on the back!

_A second note_: I'm taking a break from the Harry Potter-fanfic realm for a bit (Kingdom Hearts…here I come!), but I'm posting a **one-shot sequel/ epilogue** to this piece. I can't say when it'll be finished yet, or what it's going to be about, but before I post my KH story, the epilogue to this will be submitted (as a completely separate story from this one, btw). Promise! So…keep your eyes open for that...

_And a third note_: Thank you my beta, _TheseBrokenWings_, who offered to help me out about four chapters into this, and stayed with me until the very end. Thank you for being so wonderful and helpful! I hope you enjoyed this last chapter!

Because this is the last chapter, and all you readers were so fantastic and supportive and all that, I think you deserve to see the **statistics** of this story. They're impressive, thanks to you.

Catalyst: 26 total chapters **_NOTE_**: _Note that these stats do not yet include stats for chapter 26_

**546 reviews** (_Whhooo!!! Over five-hundred reviews_!)

**68422 hits** (Incredible…)

**Added to 13 C2s** (Thanks to all of you staff members who put this in your C2!)

**155 people** added this to their 'favorites list'!

**263 people** added this to their 'alert list'

On average, Catalyst received **20 reviews per chapter** (Thank you all!)

The most reviews I got for a single chapter was **38** (Oh my god…!!! _FABULOUS_!)

**_I _**would absolutly _LOVE IT_ if all the people who added Catalyst to their alert lists would review this chapter. One word, two words, a sentence, a paragraph...I don't care. But if you haven't given me your thoughts on my story, I would love it if you would take this opportunity (last chance!) and review! So...**please review if you've been following this story, add yourself to Catalyst's 'Stats list'!**

And there you all go. Thank you for supporting me while I was writing Catalyst, and thank you for patiently putting up with my irregular updates. I love you all!

-The Wykkyd


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